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A Tale of Two Judges

BY K AT H Y Y. W I L S O N

In a July morning downpour, I’m being held hostage in what dialysis patients call a “welfare van” on my way from East Walnut Hills to a dialysis clinic in Silverton.

By downtown Norwood, I’ve listened to my obstreperous driver — also a loud, profane black woman — deliver to a disembodied speakerphone voice the news in that breathless way black women do when we’re gossiping about one another.

“You seen on Facebook where Tracie Hunter fell out in court and they had to carry her out — that bitch just wanted to make national news one last time before she went to jail.”

Breath.

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with her ass they gave her six months and she’ll prolly only do three.”

Breath.

“Yeah, that bitch fell out.” She laughed sardonically and coughed a hard, smoker’s cough. “Wit’ her crazy ass.”

And there it is: The (former) judge being (forever) judged.

Even now, at the end.

The end of a test of the limits of what the county’s white power brokers let pass for justice, at the end of at least three defense attorneys, a slew of hearings, a couple of common pleas court judges (the last — Patrick T. Dinkelacker — with his own checkered past), a four-year delay, the white-hot lights of the city’s — and the nation’s and international — media, a slew of tilted and myopic stories in The Enquirer, and a breathtaking and groundbreaking sweep to the bench despite the turned back of her own Democratic Party.

What a strange, surreal, racist, misogynistic trip it’s been and Tracie Marie Hunter seems picked directly from Central Casting for the starring role of the wholly mysterious and largely misunderstood black Joan of Arc; the courthouse steps are her burning stake.

Call the van ride what you need to: a black-on-black hate crime? Three black women looking at, speculating over and harshly judging another from a distance?

Maybe. Probably.

Whatever it was, I kept my mouth shut.

Only one black woman in that triumvirate had access to and an audience with the beleaguered former Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge.

For a beefy and meandering August 2014 Cincinnati Magazine feature profile, I spent nearly one year following Hunter’s literal and figurative trials — in juvenile court and the media — as she tried settling onto the bench never before occupied by a woman or a black person while she simultaneously answered to a single charge of having unlawful interest in a public contract for giving confidential papers allegedly concerning a juvenile to

her brother, Stephen Edward Jr., then a juvenile court employee in the process of being fired.

Stephen allegedly hit a juvenile and then, during his termination process, asked his big sister for paperwork containing the juvenile’s background.

Despite the seething brutality of the speakerphone woman’s black Facebook grapevine recap of Hunter’s courtroom au revoir, she landed squarely on two true signifiers. First, that Hunter may very well have wanted to leave the courtroom of Judge Dinkelacker like the self-styled martyr she’s become to so many — limp, heels dragging, doe-eyed with a stare fixed on some far-off person or goal.

Secondly, spectacularly and unlike any other elected public official before or since, Hunter’s sanity is and has been open for debate.

The collision of her nearly mystical faith in God that frightens the bejesus out of the uninitiated and any palpable fissure in her sanity collide at a devastating onetwo punch.

On May 23, 1986, her 17-year-old brother, Edward Louis, then a Forest Park High School student, killed himself on a public street in Glendale surrounded by cops after he’d robbed several stores.

Seventeen months later, in October 1987, Hunter was seriously injured — including head and facial injuries and temporary paralysis — when a car she was driving swerved off a rural Oxford road to avoid hitting a deer. Other Miami University students were in the car. One died.

Hunter, raised as a staunch, privateschool Catholic girl, told me in her church basement that she considers herself saved

by God to do larger work, to hold a bigger profile. She said God told her to run for the bench and He told her she’d won it even when it seemed votes and odds were stacked against her.

“God is not a man that should lie.”

Hunter is reminiscent of Perpetua, the Christian martyr jailed by the Romans for refusing to worship false gods. After her father shunned and beat her, Perpetua steadfastly thanked God anyway.

To the mostly women and all-black congregants of Western Hills Brethren In Christ Church where Hunter has pastored since 2009, faith is neither funny nor a sign of insanity. And here’s where shit swirling around Hunter goes sideways: perception and reality — her perception of her selves and realities and our

perception of all of it.

And when I say “our,” I mean all of us — black, white, powerful, disenfranchised, political outsiders, onlookers, pundits and radio talk show wingnuts, and men and women alike.

If Oprah© ever asks me: “What’s one thing you know for sure?” I’d tell her straight: I know black folks cannot tell public truths about ourselves.

Harder (and stranger) still we cannot reconcile those truths with our love for one another.

blame-bearers.

The white, male string- and leverpullers in Hamilton County have just about succeeded in destroying this woman.

The court’s handling of Hunter is nothing short of flagellation. She’s been publicly dressed down, mocked, demeaned, subjugated, deconstructed, paternally admonished and sent away.

The final blow was during Dinkelacker’s sentencing. The judge read into court record a letter from Hamilton County

“Here’s where shit swirling around Hunter goes sideways: perception and reality — her perception of her selves and realities and our perception of all of it.

And when I say ‘our,’ I mean all of us — black, white, powerful, disenfranchised, political outsiders, onlookers, pundits and radio talk show wingnuts, and men and women alike.”

In other words, we’ve yet to learn to love a black person who’s done wrong and, indeed, should be punished.

We’ve convinced ourselves to either bathe our heroes in adoration and idol worship or hate, dismiss and slander them. In the decree of social media, we “cancel” them.

Hunter did wrong and so did her brother.

His punishment was swift. He lost his job.

Hers goes on ad nauseam.

The loss of her law license, her judgeship, a reasonable fine and courtapproved community service would’ve been enough.

However, she refused to kiss the rings of sitting black judges in this county; never even went to visit them. During my reporting for the magazine profile, some blacks whispered in breathless amazement how she hadn’t taken the time to curry their favor.

Who knows? Maybe before she was dragged to the fire, they could’ve helped or shielded her in some way.

But blacks aren’t the only

Prosecutor Joe Deters who smugly and with disingenuous empathy suggested delaying Hunter’s sentence while she be referred for evaluation to investigate “her stability to serve jail time.”

The prosecutor had the nerve to register surprise: Why wouldn’t Hunter try to save herself and lessen the severity of jail time by accepting the evaluation?

This is but one of the ways black women are rendered — and sometimes do actually become — insane in America.

Some will like it on Facebook.

Meantime, ponder how many more judicial shit shows starring an elected black woman you’re willing to sit through?

There’s no easy answer.

Nothing about Hunter is, was or ever will be easy. Neither is being a black woman in America. Might even be harder being one in Hamilton County.

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NEWS

Local University Under Scrutiny The organization that provides oversight for Ohio universities has warned Cincinnati Christian University that it may lose its accreditation if financial problems and issues with student retention and transparency aren’t resolved

Cincinnati Christian University

BY E M M A S T I EFEL

A

and Sams traced these issues back to before 2015, when the CCU Board of Trustees was almost completely replaced and they both joined. Prior to that year, Heineman said, the board had mostly been made up of “Godly men and women” who were primarily ministry-oriented. The post-2015 board contained more people with business acumen and experience overseeing large churches.

Heineman himself came to CCU after serving on the board of Vineyard Church, a local mega-church. He started as the chair of CCU’s finance committee, a position the board asked him to fill because of his previous experience restructuring businesses. Sams says that it was Heineman who discovered that CCU was burning through cash at a rate of about $375,000 a month and brought it to the whole board’s attention.

After realizing the full extent of CCU’s dire financial situation, Heineman says that he worked to implement an aggressive restructuring plan that, according to the HLC letter, “eliminated about one-third of CCU’s administrative staff and 10 percent of the faculty.” While Heineman said that he and his team have continued to work toward financial stability, the HLC letter noted that its monetary situation is still “fragile.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 11

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

These students didn’t always receive the support they needed, a factor that likely contributed to CCU’s 51 percent retention rate in 2016, a significant decrease from its 75 percent rate in 2014.

Since then, however, Heineman said that his administration has worked to increase remedial support.

During the coming school year, according to Heineman, there will be more available tutors and remedial lessons.

Heineman also claimed that the retention rate for the 2018-19 school year had risen to approximately 82 percent, a statistic which should be reflected in the HLC’s upcoming follow-up report.

Another shift in CCU’s student body and mission was its transformation into a liberal arts college that offers degrees like education and business management in addition to biblical studies. This transformation contributed to some gaps in academic resources identified by the HLC letter, including a lack of library and technology support staff and highly qualified faculty. But, Heineman said, it’s tough to attract top-tier talent with no government funding and a focus on a faithbased mission.

In addition to these issues that more directly affect the student experience at CCU, the HLC letter also identified ongoing financial concerns. Heineman

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1924. But about 11 years ago, according to CCU President Ronald Heineman, demand for this direct pipeline from high school to ministry started to dwindle.

“Young people just aren’t entering the ministry like they used to,” Heineman said.

For most of that period of decline, CCU continued to focus on seminary education.

It wasn’t until 2015, the year after CCU’s last accreditation visit, that the school started to search for a more successful model.

One of the first changes was to recruit more student athletes, increasing the number on campus from 150 to over 400, according to the HLC letter. About 125 of those new students were football players on a team created that year, some perhaps lured by former CCU President Ken Tracy’s promise of a $5 million sports complex. According to Sams, the complex was abandoned once the board realized the full extent of CCU’s financial problems. The team has yet to win a game.

This new emphasis on athletics changed CCU’s student body, bringing in more first-generation college students. While Heineman and others at the university are excited by the increase in diversity, the demographic shift has also brought in more students “with substantially greater need of academic support and remedial education,” according to the HLC letter.

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Price Hill-based university could lose accreditation after questions about its financial problems, student retention and a restructuring effort that shifted the school’s focus and student demographics have surfaced.

School leaders, however, say they are correcting many of the issues for which they are under scrutiny.

On July 11, Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) received a “Show-Cause Order” in a letter from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the nonprofit organization that accredits universities in Ohio.

The commission listed several concerns about CCU, including low graduation rates and questions about the school’s financial health. CCU administrators must show the HLC that they have addressed these issues in a report due before December or the university’s accreditation may be removed.

CCU’s accreditation is in peril because of problems that plague some other small colleges — including financial difficulties and low graduation rates — and issues with CCU’s attempts to address them.

According to CCU Board of Trustees member Jonathan Sams, the college has hired legal help to address the HLC’s concerns and is continuing its work on fixing long-standing issues.

Many of the underlying problems at CCU can be traced back at least a decade, when its enrollment started to decline.

Back then, the university focused on training ministers, which had been its primary purpose since it was founded in

PHOTO: EMMA STIEFEL

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CITY DESK

Will One of Cincinnati’s Oldest Religious Structures Get The Wrecking Ball?

BY N I C K SWA R T S EL L

Revelation Missionary Baptist Church PH OTO: NIC K SWARTSELL

worship experience of our congregation and promote the growth of our congregation,” church Board Chair Walter Collier said in a statement. “We are excited about the opportunity this presents to our church and look forward to increasing our membership at our new church building.”

The team would like to demolish the building and other structures around it as it makes plans for development north of its coming stadium.

But Seelbach and historic preservationists believe it should be saved.

The historic designation filing points out that few historic religious structures remain in the West End due to urban renewal demolitions that took place in the late 1950s and that the building is a prime example of early Germanic religious architecture in the city.

“1556 John Street’s current congregation is a long-standing Black Baptist church which has called this building their home for nearly 100 years since 1928,” the historic designation filing reads. “The three congregations which have called this building home have marked it as a powerful reminder of Cincinnati’s patterns of urban change.”

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

property to the church.

The church grew in importance in the black community, and, at the height of his civil rights work in the south, Rev. Shuttlesworth preached there from 1961 to 1966 before starting his own church in Avondale. In 1965, 5,000 civil rights activists marched from the church to the Hamilton County Courthouse to demand equal rights for African-Americans.

The building received a significant addition in 1976, which covered part of the original facade with a concrete block structure.

Revelation held onto the church until its sale to FC Cincinnati. The congregation there voted 49-5 to sell the building to the team and approached FC Cincinnati about the deal, according to church leadership.

The church will continue to worship at the building until it moves to a new facility constructed by the team on West Galbraith Road. Some of the building’s historic stained glass windows and other features will likely be moved to the new site.

“For some time, our church has been interested in opportunities to minister in a new church building located in a new neighborhood that could increase the

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But by 1904, only about 40 congregants remained with the society, and they decided to sell the large John Street building. They eventually merged with another congregation and constructed a new temple together on Reading Road.

A German Lutheran congregation purchased the building for $15,000 that year and held services in German for the large number of immigrants who had made the city’s urban basin their home.

The church underwent a $5,000 restoration a few years later which included the addition of new stained glass windows.

But demographic changes saw many of those Germans leave the West End over the next two decades, and in 1927, the church changed hands again. This time, an African-American congregation called the Revelation Baptist Church moved in.

Revelation started in 1921 and worshiped out of nearby rented spaces before congregants Horrace and Melvina Sudduth bought the church for $27,000.

Sudduth was a prominent member of the African-American community best known for owning and running the Manse Hotel in Walnut Hills. The next year, the Sudduths transferred the

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The second-oldest structure built as a synagogue still standing in Cincinnati is at the corner of John Street and Bauer Avenue in the West End — just blocks from the coming FC Cincinnati soccer stadium.

At least, it stands there for now. The team purchased Revelation Missionary Baptist Church at 1556 John St. in May, and on July 3, applied for a demolition permit for the building. That application was approved.

The church congregation’s leadership says it welcomes the move to a new church constructed by the team in North College Hill. But historic preservationists — and Cincinnati City Council member Chris Seelbach — have mounted an effort to save the German Gothic-style, 154-yearold religious structure, an early home to Reform Judaism in Cincinnati and the place where famed civil rights leader Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth once preached.

Seelbach Aug. 5 filed an application with the city’s department of planning to get local historic landmark designation for the property. The Cincinnati Historic Conservation Board and City Planning Commission will consider that application and make recommendations before council gives final approval.

Because the demolition permit has already been granted, the designation alone won’t save the building — FC Cincinnati would have to miss the sixmonth window it has to use its permit and reapply for the historic designation to have an impact. Chances that the effort will be able to stop the demolition are slim. But Seelbach says it’s still important to try and protect the building and recognize its significant place in Cincinnati history.

According to the historic designation filing, Jewish congregation The Society of Brotherly Love constructed the John Street Temple in 1865 for $47,000 after having worshiped in two smaller locations in the Over-the-Rhine since 1848. The congregation is responsible for another local landmark — the Jewish cemetery on Ludlow Avenue in Clifton, which they established the same year they formed.

It took 27 years for the congregation to buy the leased land the building stood on from descendants of early Cincinnati leader David Wade, and 33 years to pay off the construction debt.

Today, only the Lodge Street Synagogue on Ruth Lyons Way — constructed in 1861 — is older than the John Street Temple.

Cincinnati’s iconic Plum Street Temple downtown was built the year after John Street.

The Society of Brotherly Love counted among its members many influential Cincinnatians, and famed father of American Reform Judaism Isaac Wise preached there on a number of occasions.

The synagogue followed Wise’s lead and converted to Reform Judaism from its orthodox roots in 1871.

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FROM PAGE 07

In his efforts to recover CCU’s financial viability, Heineman has ended up holding three roles in the university’s leadership structure: he is simultaneously the President/CEO; the Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) responsible for maintaining a good relationship between CCU and Central Bank & Trust, the institution’s primary lender; and a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees.

The HLC letter raised multiple issues with the “conflicts of interest posed by the President’s trio of roles.” Perhaps the most serious is the HLC team’s conclusion that Heineman as CRO “considers the bank’s interests to take precedence over institutional interests.”

Heineman denied that he was privileging the interests of the bank over CCU and said that this conclusion was an “error of fact.” He said that, unlike many CROs that are appointed by banks to turn around flailing institutions, he was appointed to the position by the CCU Board and then approved by Central Bank.

According to Sams, the board wanted to proactively tackle the university’s problems so that the bank did not send in an outsider to do it for them.

The HLC letter also stated that CCU was violating its own bylaws by allowing Heineman to serve as both a board member and president. That generally isn’t

permitted by the bylaws, but the Board passed a year-long amendment that allows the president to participate in board meetings as a non-voting member. Heineman is working the full-time president role pro bono and has a non-voting seat on the board. The HLC team was unconvinced by the temporary amendment and said it received scant evidence the school was making efforts to improve the situation.

Many of the HLC team’s concerns regarding Heineman’s roles center around larger questions about transparency from university leaders.

The HLC’s letter states that this is “evidenced by no public meeting minutes reporting the Board’s decisions” and pointed out that, at the time, CCU had no plans for increasing transparency besides suggesting that they put out a weekly newsletter. Heineman said that the board is now moving toward publishing minutes.

Something that wasn’t included in the HLC letter, but which quickly came to the attention of the CCU community: 2015 cease-and-desist proceedings against Heineman by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC alleged that in 2009, Heineman made “materially misleading statements and omissions” to auditors in his role as CEO of General Employment Enterprises, Inc., when $2.3 million in company cash

went unaccounted for. The SEC document alleged that Heineman should have known that the cash was being used to commit fraud.

Ultimately, Heineman paid a fine to settle the case without admitting guilt.

Heineman denied to CityBeat that he had knowledge of the fraud at the time, and said that he had settled the case to avoid the more expensive litigation process.

He also claimed that such CCU President Ronald Heineman issues are common, that a PHOTO: EMMA STIEFEL cease-and-desist order is a minor administrative infraction with the SEC and that an act of service that provided him with multiple other people were also involved. no financial benefits. He also said that, A widely shared Chronicle of Higher because he is accountable to the board and Education article on CCU’s Show-Cause the university is fully audited, there are Order also reported that Heineman “enough checks and balances on his power,” owed several hundred thousand dollars and that CCU stakeholders should “trust in unpaid state taxes, which Heineman the system” as the leadership team works said he was working with tax attorneys to to restabilize the university. investigate and address.

In about a year, the HLC will decide In response to CCU students and whether the university has improved parents who may have lost faith in his enough for its accreditation to continue, ability to lead the university after reading and the CCU community will know if they about the accreditation problems and put their trust in the right place. his past legal issues, Heineman assured them that his work at CCU was purely

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AT JUNGLE JIM’S!

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Back that Glass up For Jungle Jim’s Winesday

HOW IT WORKS 1. Buy your glassware and first pour at our Tasting Bar.

Visit Junglejims.com/Events for more information.

Offer only valid on Wednesdays. Must be 21+ to purchase.

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2. Back that glass up every Wednesday after 5 PM to save $1 at our Tasting Bar.

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To do lists. Grocery lists. Top 10 lists. Lists make things easy to organize, easy to digest and easy to read. And while we won’t call this a “bucket list” — because that seems slightly morbid and we want you to accomplish more with your life than just eating smiley face cookies — we will call it a “should list.” Or maybe a “fun list”? What’s less aggressive than a bucket list? A “cup list”?

It’s not really a list of things to do before you die, it’s more like a list of things to do if you’re bored on the weekend and/or want to prove you’re a true Cincinnatian (outside of the fact that everyone knows instead of blood, our veins run brown with liquid chili).

So here are 101 things every Queen City resident should do for entertainment, curiosity, civic pride, culinary advancement, etc.

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8. SHOP LOCAL AT THE CIT Y FLEA

Shop local at this “curated urban flea market,” which pops up monthly from May to October — with a special winter holiday market — in Washington Park.

Small businesses and independent makers sell everything from vintage duds and airplants to apothecary items and artisan pizza. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.

PHOTO: HOLDEN MATHIS

1. GO TO THE TOP OF CAREW TOWER

For $3 to $6 and a 49-floor elevator ride, you can stand on the top of the city’s secondtallest building (the tallest is the Great American Tower) and get a bird’s-eye view of the skyline, Ohio River and Northern Kentucky from the Observation Deck. Carew Tower, 441 Vine St., Downtown, 513-579-9735.

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2. RIDE THE BEAST AT KINGS ISL AND

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Kings Island’s The Beast turned 40 this year and while it may be getting on in years, the world's longest wooden roller coaster hasn't slowed down at all: its 7,300-plus feet of track includes 135-foot vertical drops, a 540-degree helix tunnel and speeds up to 64 miles per hour. It’s given more than 54 million rides in its four decades and Popular Mechanics magazine just named it the best roller coaster in Ohio. Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason, visitkingsisland.com.

3. EAT BLUE CREAMY WHIP

If you’ve lived in Cincinnati for any length of time, chances are you can distinctly evoke the taste of blue ice cream, a blueberry-based soft serve — although the actual name of the flavor is just “blue.” Introduced by Kings Island in 1982 to promote a then-new Smurfs ride in the park’s Hanna-Barbera Land, it’s become a quintessential Queen City summer treat.

Thankfully the cult following for the dessert is as rich as its flavor, so you can grab a cone at most local creamy whip windows. Although blue creamy whip varies slightly at each

location — with many shops implementing special (and secret) twists — the treats taste nearly identical, staying faithful to the amusement park’s true-blue recipe.

yearly performance: “If you haven’t seen it, give yourself a present and do so.” Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.

4. OR GR AETER’S BL ACK R ASPBERRY CHOCOL ATE CHIP ICE CREAM

6. GO UNDERGROUND DURING A BREWING HERITAGE TR AIL TOUR

Family-run for 150 years (technically 149; the local dessert giant celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2020), this local French pot ice cream chain is iconic for its giant chocolate chips — chunks, really. They pour gourmet chocolate over churning cream to form a shell that their artisans then break up. It’s totally unique and perfect in flavors like Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip — their all-time best-seller made with black raspberries from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Multiple locations, graeters.com.

5. CATCH PL AYHOUSE IN THE PARK’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL

With every holiday season comes Playhouse in the Park’s production of A Christmas Carol.

You know the story: A curmudgeonly, greedy capitalist named Ebenezer Scrooge forces his employees to work on Christmas and, in general, is a jerk. That's why he’s visited by a trio of ghosts who attempt to show him the error of his ways. The heartwarming and classic Charles Dickens’ tale reminds us to appreciate the people that really matter in our lives and, as evidenced by Scrooge, that it’s never too late to change. As CityBeat reviewer Rick Pender once wrote about the Playhouse’s

Once one of the largest brewing boomtowns in America in the 19th-century, Cincinnati’s Brewing Heritage Trail explores, preserves and celebrates the city’s storied past as a beer-producing capital with a series of guided tours and a free walking trail. “Hop on” the trail, which stretches about three-fourths of a mile between Findlay Market and Grant Park, at either terminus and follow embedded medallions in the sidewalk to discover historic buildings, brewing sites, public art and more.

The trail will eventually stretch two miles, snaking into Pendleton and Mohawk, and include an app with audio tours and augmented reality experiences that will let users look inside underground lagering cellars and former brewing spaces. A number of guided tours are also available to complement the self-guided trail where you can go into the subterranean lagering tunnels of the now defunct breweries, learn about beer barons and just bask in our pre-Prohibition boozy history. Most also include a pint or two of local brew. Brewing Heritage Trail, brewingheritagetrail.com.

7. SPEND YOUR ENTIRE DAY CAMPED OUT ON THE RIVERFRONT FOR THE RIVERFEST/ WEBN FIREWORKS Launched more than four decades ago to celebrate the 10th anniversary of radio station WEBN, this Labor Day bash officially

signals the end of summer with a series of colorful explosions in the sky. In addition to food, music, major traffic jams and one of the largest firework displays in the Midwest set to music from 102.7 FM (you are 100-percent guaranteed to hear “Smoke on the Water”), festgoers can expect to see half a million other humans and a river full of boats.

(People start setting up blankets a day early to claim primo space on both sides of the river.) During the lead-up to the big show, the Freestore Foodbank hosts its annual Rubber Duck Regatta, dropping as many as 200,000 yellow duckies from the Purple People Bridge into the Ohio River in a race to benefit the foodbank (buy a duck, feed a kid, possibly win a car). Riverfest, rubberduckregatta.org, webn.iheart.com.

9. VISIT FIONA AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO

Since being born six weeks early in January 2017, baby hippo Fiona has become a bona fide celebrity. Initially weighing just 29 pounds, she inspired the hashtag #TeamFiona as well as plenty of international media coverage, children’s books and mountains of themed merchandise. The former itty, bitty baby is now a sassy and playful multi-hundred-pound hippo. Visit her and her mom, Bibi, in the zoo’s Africa exhibit. Or check out any one of the many other zoo babies who steal our hearts on the regular — like the recently welcomed giraffe, Fennessy. This year the zoo was also named the No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

10. BUY R ARE HOT SAUCE AT JUNGLE JIM’S

Jungle Jim’s is an amusement park for foodies, and not just because of its kitschy statues and animatronics. It sells nearly 1,500 different kinds of hot sauce, which makes the Aisle of Inferno (as it’s so dubbed) “the largest retail selection in the United States.” It’s pretty hard to miss — it’s the one with the giant fire truck on top of it. Jungle JIm’s, 5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, junglejims.com.

11. GET A DRINK AT ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL, THE CIT Y’S OLDEST BAR

A friendly, diverse and historic gin joint, Arnold’s is the city’s oldest bar — in operation since the 1830s. Arnold’s draws folks for its food, live music (lots of Americana

and Bluegrass), local brews and casual atmosphere. Named as one of the best bars in America by Esquire magazine, it offers friendly service, cheap drinks, an awesome courtyard (used to be a stable and carriage house) and a bathtub that was once reputedly used for making bathtub gin. Arnold’s Bar and Grill, 210 E. Eighth St., Downtown, arnoldsbarandgrill.com.

12. PARTICIPATE IN THE WORLD’S L ARGEST CHICKEN DANCE

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is the nation’s largest feier of authentic German food, music and beer with an estimated 575,000 festgoers eating an estimated 87,542 metts, 400 pickled pigs feet and 64,000 sauerkraut balls each September, among other gluttonous activities.

Odd traditions include the majestic Running of the Wieners dachshund races, brat-eating competitions and the world’s largest Chicken Dance, which has been led by celebrities like “Weird Al” Yankovic, Nick and Drew Lachey and George Takei. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, oktoberfestzinzinnati.com.

13. HAVE A COCK TAIL AT THE BAR AT PALM COURT

Nestled inside the historic Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, the Bar at Palm Court is an astonishing French Art Deco masterpiece with Brazilian rosewood, a massive zigguratshaped fountain and seashell-framed booths like Venus rising from the foam. The art is in the design as well as the Great Gatsby-esque drinks. Try the NP, a best-of-both-worlds cocktail that pairs bourbon with something bubbly. Named after the Netherland Plaza, the cocktail features Four Roses yellow label

bourbon, lemon, ginger, bitters and sparkling wine. It’s light, refreshing and still packs a boozy punch. The Bar at Palm Court, 35 W. Fifth St., Downtown, orchidsatpalmcourt.com.

14. RUN, WALK OR WATCH THE FLYING PIG MAR ATHON

The flying pig is a ubiquitous Cincinnati symbol, evoking the animal that earned the city its nickname: "Porkopolis.” But for one weekend a year, the flying pig stands for working off pounds, not putting them on.

Created in 1997, the Flying Pig Marathon draws people from around the world to make it through a 26.2-mile urban course at their own speed. The race, which winds through Cincinnati, Covington, Newport, Mariemont, Fairfax and Columbia Township, is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon and sees upward of 40,000 participants annually. Flying Pig Marathon, flyingpigmarathon.com.

15. GR AB A L AT TE AT FOLK SCHOOL COFFEE PARLOR WHILE JERRY SPRINGER RECORDS HIS PODCAST

The Jerry Springer Show ran for 27 seasons before its final episode in 2018. The tabloidstyle talk show was fronted by its namesake, a former mayor of Cincinnati, and was perhaps the definition of guilty pleasure daytime TV. If you miss his shenanigans and commentary, The Jerry Springer Podcast is recorded weekly in Ludlow, Kentucky’s very cozy Folk School Coffee Parlor. Seriously.

Subtitled Tales, Tunes and Tomfoolery, it’s a variety show with Springer’s liberal political commentary at its center. You can reserve a seat in one of their own live shows

via jerryspringer.com and sip a latte while you’re at it. Listen to archived episodes at jerryspringer.com.

16. GET REAL AMERICAN DURING THE NORTHSIDE FOURTH OF JULY PAR ADE July in Northside means one thing: the most colorful, freewheeling parade in Cincinnati. The Northside Fourth of July Parade — happening every year since 1970 — is an all-out celebration of independence, community, small business and individuality.

Expect to see creative handmade floats from vintage stores, bars and community organizations; local marching bands; drill teams; every politician you’ve ever heard of; ladies dancing with lawn chairs; guys dancing with power tools; and other unexpected and delightful displays of pride and spirit. The parade complements the Northside Rock N’ Roll Carnival, a two-day fest featuring live music, local beer, fair food and plenty of sideshow entertainment. northsidejuly4.com; northsiderocks.com.

17. BROWSE THE STACKS OF THE MERCANTILE LIBR ARY

The Mercantile Library — located on the 11th and 12th floors of a downtown office building — is Cincinnati’s own Room of Requirement (for those who aren’t Harry Potter fans, basically it’s just an extraordinarily cool, secret space). Open since 1835, this membership library (one of only two-dozenish left in the U.S.) is home to more than 80,000 books, dynamic lecture series — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ray Bradbury, Tom Wolfe, Julia Child are just a handful of names who

have spoken here — concerts, yoga classes and cocktail hours. While you have to be a member to check out books, the public is welcome to wander the stacks, attend events and marvel at the luddite luxury of this classic club. The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St., 11th Floor, Downtown, mercantilelibrary.com.

18. GET HIGH IN BLUE ASH AT THE SUMMIT PARK OBSERVATION TOWER At almost 850 feet above sea level, Blue Ash is one of the highest points in Hamilton County. In 2018, the city boosted its natural elevation by adding a 150 foot observation tower to Summit Park. The sleek, glasspaneled tower affords those who climb the 200-plus steps to the top a birds-eye view of the region, from the Cincinnati skyline to Kings Island's Eiffel Tower. Summit Park Observation Tower, 4335 Glendale-Milford Road, Blue Ash, summitparkblueash.com.

19. CROSS THE SHARK BRIDGE AT THE NEWPORT AQUARIUM Ever wonder what it would feel like to walk the plank into shark-infested waters? Well, you can get a little taste of the experience by venturing across Newport Aquarium’s Shark Bridge, the world’s first rope bridge suspended just inches above the 385,000 gallon Surrounded by Sharks exhibit.

Thankfully, once you complete the 75-foot long walk over more than a dozen sharks (plus sharkrays, stingrays and fish), you’ll end up safely on the other side of the tank, not splashing down next to an apex predator.

Newport Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Way, Newport, newportaquarium.com.

20. LISTEN TO THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE’S LONGEST RUNNING CHOR AL FESTIVAL

Proclaimed as “a celebration of the human voice,” the annual May Festival is the longestrunning choral festival in the Western Hemisphere (started in 1873) and is a big reason for the construction of Music Hall — where the festival still takes place today. Though its history is uniquely Cincinnati, the fest also collaborates with artists from around the world.

Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena takes pride in working with artistic collaborators from outside the region, including contemporary and avant performers, so while it is traditional, the May Festival is anything but boring. May Festival, mayfestival.com.

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PHOTO: PATTY SALAS

Cincinnatians have been splashing around in the world’s largest recirculating pool at Coney Island since 1925. The 200-by-401-foot Sunlite Pool has plenty of space for small children, teenagers and lap swimmers to cool off during the summer. Coney Island Amusement Park, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.

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21. DO A CANNONBALL INTO SUNLITE POOL

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22. RIDE THE MECHANICAL BULL AT BOBBY MACKEY’S

Sure, Bobby Mackey’s in Wilder, Kentucky is known for being haunted and for serving up some of the most authentic traditional Country and Honky Tonk music in the area on a regular basis, including appearances by its musician owner/namesake (and his “Best Damn Band”) every weekend. But for many, the real attraction remains the nightclub’s mechanical bull ride, which celebrated its 40th year of bucking patrons in 2019. Legend has it that Mackey traveled south and purchased his first bull — known as El Turbo — from Mickey Gilley in 1979 during the filming of John Travolta’s and Debra Winger’s Urban Cowboy, the movie that would soon make Gilley’s Texas honky tonk internationally famous.

How long can you last? There’s only one way to find out. And get this, tough guy — the bar’s just a few steps away when it’s time to numb your new bruises. Bobby Mackey’s, 44 Licking Pike, Wilder, bobbymackey.com.

23. GO ON THE KENTUCK Y BOURBON TR AIL CR AFT TOUR

The main Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a selfguided liquor-filled jaunt through 13 major Kentucky bourbon distilleries — the Big Boys of bourbon. But if you want to get off the beaten path, the Bourbon Trail also offers a craft tour with 14 micro-distilleries which are, as the website says, “redefining artisan craftsmanship — and paving the way for the next generation of bourbon connoisseurs to rise.” That trail starts down in Pembroke at MB Roland Distillery and winds its way up through Louisville, Lexington and Bardstown and into Northern Kentucky, where our very own New Riff Distillery sits as the northernmost stop. But if you don’t feel like signing up for more than one drinking destination, New Riff offers its own regular distillery tours and tastings. There are three options from which to choose: the Bonded Tour, the Barrel Proof Tour and the Inside the Lab Tour. New Riff, 24 Distillery Way, Newport, newriffdistilling.com, kybourbontrail.com.

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24. HUNT FOR GHOSTS AT LOVEL AND CASTLE

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World War I army medic and Boy Scout troop leader Harry Delos Andrews built Château Laroche over the course of 50 years with handmade bricks (formed with quart-sized paper milk cartons) and stones from the nearby Little Miami River. Modeled after European castles, it features towers, a dry moat, hand-tiled ceilings, murder holes and a collection of period weaponry. The castle grounds are available for picnics, overnights and parties and are rumored to be haunted by a variety of ghosts. Loveland Castle, 12025 Shore Road, Loveland, lovelandcastle.com.

25. GET LIT DURING BLINK

After a hugely successful pilot event, the art and light festival will return for a second run in October 2019. This year, BLINK will span 30 blocks and cross the Ohio River with large-scale projection mapping, murals, interactive light sculptures, live entertainment and the centerpiece: the Roebling Bridge will be brought to life with light, sound and color for the extravagant fest. This year will also feature a live concert by Alternative Rock

26. MAKE A BEER-CAN PYR AMID DURING THE CYCLONES’ DOLL AR BEER NIGHT

Minor league sports offer the type of value anyone can appreciate — like $1 beer and hot dogs. A chant of “Sucks!” is traditional after the introduction of each opposing player at Cincinnati Cyclones hockey games, and fans can also suck down responsible amounts of beer as they watch the multi-time ECHL champions play on dollar beer nights at U.S. Bank Arena. The Cyclones offer this promotion 15 or so times a season, along with other funny stuff like an ugly sweater T-shirt giveaway and weiner dog races. Cheap Hudepohl and hot dogs also happen to be available at your local grocer, who will not appreciate your “sucks” chants at the checkout lane. Cyclones, cycloneshockey.com.

band Grouplove, well-known for their songs "Tongue Tied" and "Ways to Go." BLINK, blinkcincinnati.com.

27. SEE (AND HEAR) A CONCERT FROM THE L AWN AT RIVERBEND

Riverbend Music Center has made it easier than ever to see live music from the lawn seats. This year, the venue removed the support beam towers that have been part of the pavilion structure since its original construction in 1984. "Over the years we have received feedback from patrons that they loved being on the lawn for concerts, but wished the sightlines were better. So we listened and now every spot on the lawn has an unobstructed view of the stage," said Rosemarie Moehring, MEMI's director of marketing. Lawn seats are cheaper than pavilion seats, and for big concerts — like Jimmy Buffett’s annual pilgrimage to see his Queen City Parrotheads — it’s where the party’s at. It also makes it easier to access the bathrooms, beer lines and the exit when you want to leave. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., California, riverbend.org.

28. PL AY HOOK Y DURING THE OPENING DAY PAR ADE

When baseball season arrives in Cincinnati, it’s time to air out your Reds gear and practice your fake cough. Opening Day might not be an official local holiday, but we take our season opener pretty damn seriously with the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade.

The annual celebration begins promptly at noon and steps off from the market, led by an honorary grand marshal and some 200 other businesses and groups — local politicians, the Budweiser Clydesdales, high school bands, etc. — walking, marching, biking, driving and operating floats down Race and Fifth streets, ending at the Taft Theatre. The Reds are the nation’s oldest professional baseball team, and this historic parade basically shuts the city down for the day, so call into work (if your boss is even there) and get ready to buy some peanuts and Cracker Jacks — and beer

PHOTO: JESSE FOX

and hot dogs and maybe nachos in a Reds helmet — and spend Opening Day reveling in America’s favorite pastime. Opening Day Parade, findlaymarketparade.com.

29. TRY A GOET TA BROWNIE DURING GLIER’S GOET TAFEST

Cincinnatians have a thing for weird meats, the most beloved of which is probably Cincinnati-style chili. A close second is goetta, a German-inspired combination of sausage meat and pinhead oats. Goetta devotees flock to Glier’s Goettafest in Newport for a few days each summer (two weekends actually, starting this year) to sample myriad goetta-infused foods, such as goetta burgers, goetta mac and cheese, goetta burritos, goetta fried rice, goetta empanadas, goetta potato pancakes, deep-fried goetta balls, goetta kebabs, goetta wrapped in bacon, goetta nachos and, yes, even goetta brownies. Each vendor has to have a completely unique goetta menu, and no item can repeat, so the goetta iterations are endless and endlessly creative. Glier’s Goettafest, goettafest.com.

30. DANCE LIKE A GREEK AT PANEGRYI

Go Greek for a day — or the whole weekend — at the annual Panegyri Greek Festival held at Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox

Church. Traditional music and folk dance transports guests to the mainland and islands of Greece. You can visit the marketplace to find jewelry, icons, olive oil and other imported goods but the highlight of this festival is the food. Grab a gyro, spanakopita, a full greek dinner and an imported glass of wine, then hit the zaxaroplasteio for traditional Greek desserts like baklava, kourambiethes, melomakarona and more. Live cooking demonstrations also teach guests how to prepare their own festival favorites at home. Opa! Panegyri, 7000 Winton Road, Finneytown, htsnchurch.org.

31. TAILGATE BEFORE A BENGALS GAME Tailgating in Cincinnati is similar to tailgating in other NFL cities: Orange-and-black-striped repurposed mini-vans, trailers and buses accompany games of cornhole, Playstation, beer pong and plenty of ’80s hair metal — Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” mostly. On game days, you can find fans starting their pre-game celebrations in the early a.m. in parking lots outside of Paul Brown Stadium and across downtown — seriously, all of downtown. Like a call-andresponse, just start shouting “Who-Dey” into

the air and see who answers; you’ll inevitably find yourself drinking and eating a hot dog out of the back of a pick-up with some new friends. Bengals, bengals.com.

32. WANDER THROUGH WILLOWS AT THE TAFT MUSEUM OF ART

Far Flung is a large-scale, outdoor sculpture on the grounds of the Taft Museum of Art — and it is pretty cool. A "unique fantasy experience" by sculptor Patrick Dougherty, it features more than six tons of manipulated willow tree saplings, twisted into whirling shapes that call to mind hobbit homes, a fairy garden and/or a Dr. Seuss fever dream manifestation. The best part? Visitors can touch and walk through it. Far Flung opened in April 2018, will be open for about 20 months and is free to experience during regular museum hours. Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St., Downtown, taftmuseum.org.

33. SEE ALL THE DRESSED-UP DOGS AT THE MOUNT ADAMS REINDOG PAR ADE

Dressing your furry friend in his or her holiday best to sashay your way through the streets of Mount Adams? Now that’s what the Christmas season is all about. The Mount

Adams Reindog Parade, which happens each December, has given pooch owners a chance to do just that for the past 30 years.

Prizes are awarded for the best costumes, which brings out the creative elf in everyone.

Proceeds benefit SPCA Cincinnati, and plenty of neighborhood bar and restaurant patios go dog-friendly for the day. Even if you don’t have a dog of your own, it’s entertaining enough to see all the entries for Best Dog/Owner LookA-Like. Mount Adams Reingdog Parade, spcacincinnati.org.

34. GET DRUNK (OR JUST HAVE A BEER) AT BOCKFEST

German monks used to drink bock beer instead of food during the Lenten fast. And while lay folk may hesitate to spend 40 days ingesting nothing but alcohol (though, if that’s your jam, we certainly aren’t judging), you can still get a taste of the monastery tradition at Cincinnati’s annual Bockfest, a weekend-long fest that honors both beer and the coming of spring. It kicks off with a Friday parade led by a goat pulling a keg and the reigning Sausage Queen — a gender-neutral pageant-winner honored for their personality, presence and talent (the only real requirement is the ability to carry a symbolic tray of bockwurst). The

rest of the weekend’s activities include historic brewery tours, beer drinking, the Sausage Queen/Beard Baron finals, live music, a 5k and plenty of German food. Bockfest, bockfest.com.

35. SPEND A SATURDAY IN R ABBIT HASH

For those yet to take a trip down the rabbit hole, this historic Kentucky rivertown is located approximately 30 miles southwest of Cincinnati in Boone County, Kentucky in a place where time appears to have stood still. The Rabbit Hash General Store, open since 1831 and regarded as one of the bestpreserved country stores in the Bluegrass State, was destroyed by a fire several years ago, but the town rallied to reopen it. Rabbit Hash is unincorporated, so it is without fixed boundaries, but the hamlet is considered to have a population of about 315. It is known for its series of dog mayors, barn dances, motorcycle culture and other quaint country trappings. Visit on the weekend for a glass of wine from Verona Vineyards’ outpost and listen to some live Bluegrass. Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, rabbithash.com.

36. FIND THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS TOMBSTONES AT SPRING GROVE CEMETERY

Two 7-foot headstones made in the likeness of SpongeBob SquarePants were the center of controversy when they were first erected in 2013 at Spring Grove Cemetery. The headstones belong to Kimberly Walker — an Iraq War veteran who was murdered at age 28 — and her living twin sister, Kara Walker. The Bikini Bottom resident was Kimberly’s favorite cartoon character and the statue wears her army uniform, name and rank. Though Spring Grove initially approved the headstone, they removed it the following day, deeming it inappropriate for the historic cemetery. After months of back-and-forth, the headstones were reinstalled; but now they’re joined by two granite slabs, which shield them from being seen from the road. In the process, the story

37. CHEER FROM THE BAILEY AT AN FC CINCINNATI GAME

38. POSE WITH CASEY MILL ARD'S SHARK GIRL SCULPTURE AT THE CONTEMPOR ARY ARTS CENTER Sharkboy is so 2005. Hip Cincinnatians know that Shark Girl is the only shark-human hybrid we need. The iconic statue — a little girl’s body clad in a cute dress paired with a shark’s head — has been found at multiple locations, including at the UnMuseum in the Contemporary Arts Center. There, she sits on a bench waiting for a friend to come sit next to her for a photo. For an additional Instagram-worthy experience, take a next-level selfie at the UnMuseum’s Deep Space installation, a series of illuminated and reflective infinity mirrors that create pleasingly New Wave effects. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org.

39. WALK THE STEPS OF HOLY CROSS-IMMACUL ATA PARISH

It’s a tradition that at 12:01 a.m. on Good Friday, people begin to climb the 94 steps up from the street level to Mount Adams’ Holy Cross-Immaculata Parish and pray the rosary.

Climb the steps at least once just for the view.

You don’t have to be Catholic to participate and the parish has a helpful FAQ online answering questions like, “What does it mean to ‘pray the rosary?’” Holy Cross-Immaculata Parish, 30 Guido St., Mount Adams, 2011. hciparish.org.

40. SEE SOMETHING “KINDA WEIRD, JUST LIKE YOU” DURING THE CINCY FRINGE FESTIVAL

For 13 days every summer, Over-theRhine spotlights dozens of independent performances during the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Headquartered at Know Theatre, festival attendees can enjoy not just great, kinda-weird theater, but also visual art, music, public classes and nightly after-parties.

Cincinnati Fringe Festival, cincyfringe.com.

41. PREGAME FOR AN ELDER FOOTBALL MATCH AT PRICE HILL CHILI

Sometimes called baggo or bag toss, cornhole (the right way to say it) is the official pastime of dads everywhere in Cincinnati.

The party game was purportedly developed

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42. PL AY A GAME OF CORNHOLE

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Price Hill Chili is a no-frills West Side staple that has been serving up Cincinnati-style chili and conies — among other typical diner fare — since 1962. After Sunday mass, Catholics migrate from church pews to their restaurant booths. Because of its status as a West Side must, PHC is also heavily frequented preand post- Elder High School football games.

Games at the all-male Catholic school are played in “The Pit,” and The Panthers rake in fans from around the neighborhood, not just the school (think Friday Night Lights). You can’t truly experience the West Side without doing both, so you might as well just make an entire night out of it. Price Hill Chili, 4920 Glenway Ave., Price Hill, pricehillchili.com.

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PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Faces and torsos seem to be the most popular body parts to paint orange and blue at Nippert Stadium, where the Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati fills the stands with chanting, drumbeating, soccer-scarf-wearing fanatics.

Futbol fever plays out on the pitch of the University of Cincinnati’s historic football field and in “The Bailey,” where the team’s support clubs get real rowdy lighting off colored smoke bombs, tossing up tifos and generally enacting flamboyant displays of FC pride in a spirited section just behind the north goal. When the team moves to its new $250 million stadium in the West End in 2021, The Bailey will feature 3,100 “safe-standing” seats on the stadium’s north side — nearly twice the number at Nippert. FC Cincinnati, fccincinnati.com.

attracted international coverage and became a weird nugget of Cincinnati history. Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove.org.

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43. WANDER IN WONDER DURING THE CINCINNATI ZOO’S FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

Take a walk through this wild winter wonderland. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden does its annual holiday glow-up with one of the top light displays in the country, giving its usual attractions — like the adorable Fiona — some competition. In addition to 3 million twinkling LED lights, festively adorned foliage, glowing animal sculptures and the ever-so-Instagrammable rainbow-light tunnel, there are also puppet shows, the Toyland Express train ride, everyone’s favorite synchronized holiday music-and-light display on Swan Lake, assorted s’mores stands — and spiked hot chocolate — plus visits from Santa. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

in the West Side many years ago, though its origins are disputed. Regardless of where it began, however, cornhole is ubiquitous in Cincinnati. Whether you go to a graduation party, a brewery, a camping trip or a tailgating party, cornhole will show up. And you will play.

Literally. Everywhere. You cannot escape.

44. GET A CINCY-THEMED SHIRT AT CINCY SHIRTS

Ever wished you could wear your love for both the Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati-style chili on your chest? Or an 8-bit rendering of a local landmark? Or a — definitely not fake — photo of an astronaut planting the Cincinnati flag on the moon? Well, Cincy Shirts knows exactly how you feel, and they’ve created the perfect T-shirt for you to proudly show your Cincinnati pride. Especially if you remember The Uncle Al Show. Multiple locations including 1301 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshirts.com.

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45. WATCH OUT FOR KR AMPUS AT CHRISTKINDLMARK T

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Krampus is an evil and horned, black-furred German Christmas creature that gives naughty children coal (and, in some versions of the story, carries particularly bad kinder into the woods). Several Krampuses visit the Germania Society’s Christkindlmarkt, a recreation of an authentic Bavarian-style Christmas market at Germania Park, to teach — but not terrify — kids every year. While there, check out the rest of the market, where you’ll find German music, German food (dill pickle soup, spiced gluhwein, strudels, cream puffs) and imported German gifts. Just don’t let Krampus stuff you into his sack. Germania Society, germaniasociety.com.

46. VISIT THE ST. ROSE CHURCH FLOOD MARKERS

Cincinnati has been submerged by floodwaters many times over the past century, and St. Rose Church has recorded them all.

The back of the church is painted with a flood marker, which shows how high the water reached on the building. It's an invitation to

PHOTO: DEVIN LUGINBILL

imagine what Cincinnati would have been like under about a foot of water (as it apparently was in 1963) or drowned in Ohio Riverspillover that reached past the second story of the church, which happened in the disastrous 1937 flood. The church’s website includes some pictures taken in the aftermath of that catastrophe, including one that shows a group of nuns navigating the streets in a rowboat. St. Rose Church, 2501 Riverside Drive, East End, strosecincinnati.org.

47. SLIDE DOWN THE BIG STONE SLIDE AT BURNET WOODS

Feel like a kid again while skidding down this huge concrete slide in Burnet Woods.

The park, located next to the University of Cincinnati campus, also includes the Wolff Planetarium at the Trailside Nature Center, a fishing lake, historic bandstand and plenty of shelters and picnic areas to rest your chapped bottom after a couple trips down the slide.

Burnet Woods, 3251 Brookline Ave., Clifton, cincinnatiparks.com.

48. HAVE A COCK TAIL AT ART AFTER DARK AT THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM

The Cincinnati Art Museum hosts monthly nights where the public can visit the museum after hours, experiencing its permanent collection (normally free) and special exhibits (normally ticketed, free for the night). Each evening pairs the art with local music, food and drinks. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

49. SEE THE SK Y ILLUMINATE DURING BALLOON GLOW AT CONEY ISL AND

Fireworks aren’t the only thing lighting up the sky for the Fourth of July at Coney Island.

During the annual Balloon Glow, tethered hot air balloons illuminate the park with glowing color all evening. Guests can walk beneath this dazzling display before a fireworks grand finale over Lake Como. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.

50. SHOW YOUR PRIDE AT CINCINNATI’S PRIDE PAR ADE AND FESTIVAL

Since 1973, Cincinnati Pride has been providing the LGBTQ+ community and allies with a space to celebrate, affirm and express their individuality regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

And each year, the Pride Parade and Festival is the largest manifestation of that mission.

Attend the parade to see a community coming together — and plenty of decked-out, overthe-top floats. Dress to impress from the sidelines or the procession itself and then head to the family-friendly fest for all-day entertainment. Cincinnati Pride Parade and Festival, cincinnatipride.org.

51. AT TEND SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK

“All the world’s a stage,” literally. Or at least, “All the Cincinnati parkland’s a stage.” The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company puts on

a free series every summer, bringing the wonder of the Bard's best iambic pentameter to parks, public spaces and other area attractions throughout the Greater Cincinnati region. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, cincyshakes.com.

52. SEE FINE ART AT SUMMERFAIR

Hundreds of artists travel to Coney Island from across the country to display and sell their works at one of the nation's oldest continuous art fairs. The exhibits are accompanied by live performances and food, with all proceeds supporting scholarships and exposure opportunities for student and professional artists. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave, California, summerfair.org.

53. TRY THE BEST OF THE TASTE AT TASTE OF CINCINNATI

Taste of Cincinnati is a long weekend stuffed with the most delicious food the city has to offer — literally, there are prizes awarded for the “Best of Taste.” Over 50 of Cincinnati’s best restaurants take over Fifth Street for the oldest free culinary festival in the nation. Visitors savor their food alongside live performances spread across multiple stages and other tasty entertainment. Taste of Cincinnati, tasteofcincinnati.com.

54. SHARE A SECRET AT THE WHISPERING FOUNTAINS AT UNION TERMINAL

If you talk to these walls, they might just whisper back. The acoustics of the Union

Terminal rotunda make it so that if you and a friend stand at the drinking fountains on opposite ends, you can have a conversation across the room by speaking into the wall. Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, cincymuseum.org.

55. DRINK CR AFT BEER AND L AUGH AT CINCY BREW HA-HA

America’s largest beer and comedy festival boasts a selection of over 100 beers, ciders and wines from more than 85 breweries, which festgoers can down while enjoying free comedic performances from over 80 comedians from across the country. Past headliners have included Michael Ian Black, the Sklar Brothers, Hal Sparks, Bobcat Goldthwait and more. The festival benefits local charities including The Cure Starts Now. Cincy Brew Ha-Ha, cincybrewhaha.com.

56. PR ACTICE YOUR JAMES BROWN MOVES AT THE ORIGINAL KING RECORDS SITE IN EVANSTON

King Records was a powerhouse of the music world from the 1940s to the 1970s, eventually becoming the sixth-largest record label in the nation. The label launched artists' careers across a variety of genres, from Funk to Country to Rock, including "Godfather of Soul" James Brown. The King building is currently abandoned but was recently acquired by the city. Community advocates hope it will become a studio and educational center.

57. PUT YOUR DOLL ARS TO GOOD USE AT DR AG BRUNCH

Brunch serves several functions in our society, foremost being a graceful means to justify a few drinks before noon. At Metropole’s Drag Brunch, loud music and raucous applause accompany your beverage(s) of choice as the drag queens dance and lip sync through their routines. A bi-monthly event, registration fills up quickly; $35 will cover your brunch and mimosa, but be sure to bring plenty of singles to tip performers like Amaya Sexton, Jessica Dimon, Lexi Love, Sue Nami, Aaliyah Milian and Nichelle Kartier. Events have pleasantly punny names like “Spring Queening” and “Hallowqueen.” Don’t be surprised if this brunch leaves you hungry for more drag shows (and cocktails); just say yass, Queen City. Metropole, 609 Walnut St., Downtown, metropoleonwalnut.com.

58. CROSS INTO NEWPORT ON THE PURPLE PEOPLE BRIDGE

It’s purple, it’s for people, and it is, indeed, the main pedestrian bridge connecting Cincinnati and Newport. Walk to Kentucky and back again, show your devotion to your significant other by leaving a love lock, or stick around for one of the events hosted on the bridge. Purple People Bridge, purplepeoplebridge.com.

59. BELIEVE THE SCARY STORIES AT DENT SCHOOLHOUSE From a 14-foot tall Necromancer statue to catacombs covered in 4,000 handmade human skulls to a wisecracking tin can, Bud

Stross has brought horror to life at Dent Schoolhouse every Halloween. But Dent lays claim to an actual urban legend. After multiple kids went missing from the school in the 1940s and ‘50s and people started noticing a strange smell coming from the basement, Charlie the janitor claimed it was clogged pipes. But in 1955, after more missing children cases, the smell returned. As the story goes, an angry mob burst into the school building and into the basement, where they found the decaying remains of several past students. A search for Charlie began, but he was never found. And the Dent Schoolhouse closed its doors for good. Some say that the spirits of the children — and Charlie himself — still roam the hallways. You can decide for yourself if it’s haunted or nah. Regardless, hundreds flock to Dent — which has been named one of the scariest haunts in the country by multiple publications — year after year for mega scares. Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.

60. SEE SOME LENS-BASED ART DURING THE FOTOFOCUS BIENNIAL

The FotoFocus Biennial sprawls throughout Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and as even as far as Dayton and Columbus. With the goal of providing greater accessibility to lens and photography-based art, you can view works that are a part of FotoFocus at a number of venues throughout the region. Last year’s event attracted 207,000 visitors — triple of that of their original run in 2012. Next year’s

theme has already been announced: light &.

“Light is a fundamental aspect of photography.

Light implies a force of good, and it conjures hope, clarity and rational thought,” said Kevin Moore, FotoFocus artistic director and curator, in a release. “Exhibitors are asked to consider the phrase light & with what comes after.

We’re looking forward to seeing how venues interpret the theme.” FotoFocus Biennial, fotofocus.org

61. GET A BAG OF POPCORN AT THE ESQUIRE THEATRE

The Esquire, Mariemont and Kenwood theaters cater to moviegoers with refined tastes for film… and snacks. Offering a vast selection of foreign films and Oscar-shortlisted titles, the Esquire family of cinemas pairs artistry with the best bag of popcorn you’ll find in Cincinnati. Salt and (real) butter flow freely into carbohydrate-stuffed paper sacks, applied carefully enough to harbor the perfect amount of crunch to accompany your cola. It’s classic Americana. If all that popcorn is making you thirsty, each theater is outfitted with a bar to wet your whistle. Visiting film buffs can pour up a star-studded cast of beers, spirits and wines to go with their goodies — the perfect marriage of salt, suds and cinema.

Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com; Mariemont Theatre, 6906 Wooster Pike, Mariemont, mariemonttheatre. com; Kenwood Theatre, 7815 Kenwood Road, Kenwood, kenwoodtheatre.com.

62. PAY A VISIT TO THE OHIO LESBIAN ARCHIVES

Browse through decades of Cincinnati and Ohio lesbian herstory at this small but mighty archive. It’s home to shelves of lesbian-centered books, publications, records, films and other remnants of the LGBTQ+ community’s struggle for equality.

Open by appointment. Clifton United Methodist Church, 3416 Clifton Ave., Clifton, ohiolesbianarchives.wordpress.com.

63. WATCH A MOVIE AT THE MINI MICROCINEMA

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PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

When C. Jacqueline Wood started her Mini Microcinema in 2015, it was temporary — she used a $15,000 Globe Grant from the People’s Liberty philanthropic lab to program shorts, art movies and documentaries for several months at the lab’s office space near Findlay Market.

It was a hit, and its beautiful red and white cinema sign excited and inspired many to dream about something long missing from Cincinnati’s — and Overthe-Rhine’s — cultural renaissance: a serious-minded cinematheque. This teeny-tiny, 35-seat theater is dedicated to films and other media that break from Hollywood convention. The Microcinema hosts regular film screenings that are free (though a $5 donation is suggested) as well as Adaptation, a book club and movie group. The Mini Microcinema, 1329 Main St., Over-theRhine, mini-cinema.org.

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64. DRINK A L AT TE AT COFFEE EMPORIUM

Cincinnati's oldest coffee house is a great place to meet up with friends, get some work done, relax with a book or conduct a job interview, all with a great cup of joe and some of the best breakfast pastries in the city. Coffee Emporium, 110 E. Central Parkway, Over-theRhine; 3316 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, coffeeemporium.com.

65. TAKE A HAUNTED TOUR OF CINCINNATI

Ever felt an eerie chill during a performance at Music Hall or a strange shudder while passing through Washington Park? Hear the story behind these and other purportedly haunted locations by taking an American Legacy Tours Queen City is Haunted Tour — the regular or “ultimate” version. The 90-minute jaunts take you through abandoned cemeteries, sites where human remains have been uncovered, locations related to the most prolific killer in Cincinnati history and other creepy spots.

American Legacy Tours, 1332 Vine St., Overthe-Rhine, americanlegacytours.com.

66. SAIL THE OHIO IN A CARDBOARD BOAT

Cardboard and water don’t usually pair well, but the Cardboard Boat Museum in New Richmond, Ohio thinks they go great together. The city is home to the International Cardboard Boat Regatta, which takes place every August. Teams build boats out of, yes, cardboard and then race down the Ohio River. The museum chronicles the history of this unusual race. Cardboard Boat Museum, 311 Front St., New Richmond, cardboardboatmuseum.com.

67. SHOOT A WOODEN EAGLE AT SCHÜTZENFEST

Translated as “The Marksman’s Festival,” Schützenfest began in the 15th century when, according to the legend, a German marksman shot an eagle that attacked a child. When German immigrants settled in Cincinnati, they brought the traditional fest with them, holding the first Schützenfest here in 1866. Today, the Kolping Society continues the tradition with a weekend that includes a competition for the shooting of a hand-carved eagle, a bier dash and authentic German food. Schützenfest, schuetzenfestcincy.com.

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68. CHECK OUT THE VIEW FROM DEVOU PARK

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It is said that Cincinnati is built on seven hills, like Rome — the city is actually named for Roman agrarian and military general Cincinnatus — but the reality is we have plenty more hills, heights and neighborhood names that begin with “Mount” than that. The alternating peaks and valleys of the city create excellent views from a variety of vantage points. There are about 50 classified scenic overlooks throughout the Tristate and many other secret spots from which to see the lights of the city and the winding Ohio River — and Devou Park in Covington might have one of the best. With over 700 acres (plus a golf course, trails, bandstand and history museum), the overlook area is open dawn to dusk and offers a panorama of the city skyline from the Big Mac Bridge and Great American

69. TAKE AN ART WORKS MUR AL TOUR

Since its inception in 2007, the ArtWorks mural program has been a boon to public art along the streets of Cincinnati.

The nonprofit organization — dedicated to employing and training local youth and other creative individuals to achieve community impact through art — has created more than 100 of them. To see the centrally located pieces, take ArtWorks’ Spirit of OTR walking tour, a mile-long look at 10 to 12 murals with stories of their origin and how they’re connected to the city. ArtWorks volunteers and the apprentice mural painters responsible for these creations take guests through Cincy’s historic downtown, testing their knowledge of the city’s history and sharing anecdotes from the painting process. ArtWorks, artworkscincinnati.org.

Tower to Carew Tower and the Kroger building. The designated overlook also offers benches, a gazebo, picnic tables and is ADA accessible. Devou Park, 1201 Park Drive, Covington, exploredevoupark.org.

70. PACK A PICNIC AND EAT IT IN EVERYBODY’S TREEHOUSE

For those who strongly believe treehouses aren’t just for kids, there is a place for you in Mount Airy Forest, and it’s called Everybody’s Treehouse. The wheelchair-accessible structure — the only treehouse like it in Ohio — was built in 2006. It was the vision of then-WCPO reporter Michael Flannery, who worked with the Parks Foundation, Cincinnati Rotary and Forever Young Treehouses to build this childhood nook for all. Bring a book, some lunch or some friends and enjoy this magical public space year-round. Everybody’s Treehouse, 5083 Colerain Ave., Mount Airy, cincinnatiparks.com.

71. PUT A COIN IN THE ANCHOR GRILL’S JUKEBOX AND WATCH THEIR ANIMATRONIC BAND GROOVE

It’s verifiable: the more surreal the atmosphere, the better diner food tastes.

Three cups of coffee and a plate full of home fries deep into the witching hour, no local hole-in-the wall can compare to the Anchor Grill’s dream-like coziness. Its wood-paneled walls are festooned with lovably hokey knick-knacks and nautical memorabilia. Dim lighting fixtures and ferns form swirls of chiaroscuro color among black leather booths. To top it all off, your jukebox quarters yield a live show for you and your fellow diners: as your ’70s Soft Rock single of choice crackles to life over the Anchor’s speakers, a curtain opens in a small box attached to the ceiling, revealing an animatronic Jazz band comprised of nine handmade puppets and a Barbie doll. The stage, held behind glass, bears an uncanny resemblance to Twin Peaks’ “Red Room,”

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

which is appropriate considering the diner’s Lynchian ambiance. Anchor Grill, 438 W. Pike St., Covington, 859-431-9498.

72. PICK YOUR OWN SUNFLOWERS AT GORMAN HERITAGE FARM

If you follow ‘hip’ folks on Instagram, they probably post an annual #candid of themselves in a field of sunflowers. And most likely, it was taken at Gorman Heritage Farm’s Sunflower Festival. Honestly: totally worth it for the cute pics alone. This autumnal celebration will put you in the seasonal spirit — crisp, early October weather; harvest hues of red, orange and yellow; cozy hayrides (bonus: snag some hot cocoa beforehand); and, duh, sunflowers. You can pick your own from the farm’s field by the stem or by the dozen. The festivities also generally include live music, hayrides, pumpkins and food and craft vendors, so the whole family can find something fun to do. Gorman Heritage Farm, 10052 Reading Road, Evendale, gormanfarm.org.

73. VISIT THE SWING HOUSE (OR BOOK AN AIRBNB WEEKEND) Builder/artist Mark de Jong has transformed a three-floor, shotgun-style domicile into the

Swing House, a large-scale art installation and rentable home in which the interior has been almost completely opened up — no stairs; no rooms with walls. The center attraction is a 30-foot-long rope swing that lets you travel from end to end imagining the generations who have lived there previously.

It’s a trip through time as well as space. Visit during the monthly open house event, every second Saturday from noon-4 p.m. Or book it as an Airbnb for an artful staycation. Swing House, 1373 Avon Place, Camp Washington, swing-house.com.

74. EMBARK ON THE BUTLER COUNT Y DONUT TR AIL

Just a short 45-minute jaunt from Cincinnati is a magical place called Butler County, home to one of the largest number of donut shops per capita in the Midwest.

Among these donut shops are 12 family-run establishments that have come together to offer humans a chance to test the limits of their interest in fried and filled dough, as well as their blood glucose levels. Get an official Donut Trail passport stamped at all of them and get a free T-shirt. Butler County Donut Trail, gettothebc.com/donut-trail.

75. FEED A BUT TERFLY AT KROHN CONSERVATORY’S ANNUAL BUT TERFLY SHOW The annual interactive butterfly show at this Art Deco greenhouse is kind of a big deal.

Navigate your way through clusters of flowers, ferns and trees while hundreds of butterflies flit throughout the room — and maybe right onto your floral-scented butterfly landing pad.

Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiparks.com.

76. RIDE THE TORNADO ROLLER COASTER AT STRICKER’S GROVE PRIVATE AMUSEMENT PARK

Stricker’s Grove is closed to the public for most of the year, save for a few special days in the summer and fall (or if you feel like renting it out for a private event). This familyowned and operated, 25-acre old-fashioned amusement park is home to tons of nostalgic games and classic rides. Play mini-golf and arcade games or take a ride on the Ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl or swinging pirate ship. If it’s thrills you seek, hop on one of their two roller coasters: the Teddy Bear or Tornado.

The wooden Tornado, completed in 1993, was constructed by park owner Ralph Stricker

— the only person in the United States to build his own roller coaster. Stricker’s Grove, 11490 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, strickersgrove.com.

77. RIDE THE SK YSTAR OBSERVATION WHEEL (OR NEWPORT’S FORTHCOMING SK Y WHEEL)

Check out the once-temporary, 136-foot Cincinnati SkyStar as it settles into its permanent residence at The Banks. Or check out the Newport SkyWheel across the river, which boasts about its expected 85-foot advantage over the SkyStar. Or both. The wheels will offer different vantage points of the Cincinnati skyline, so if you find yourself clamoring for more ways to look at the city, just drive a few minutes down the road and hop in another gondola (for a small fee).

SkyStar, 55 E. Freedom Way, Downtown, skystarwheel.com.

78. BATHE IN NEON AT THE AMERICAN SIGN MUSEUM

Get lost in the ads and landmarks of yesteryear. Winding pathways of colorful signage give way to a mocked-up Main Street, with faux storefronts, cobblestone and giant

logos from Howard Johnson, McDonald’s and Marshall Field. From roadside nostalgia and a looming Big Boy to pharmacy signs and gas station markers, the flashing lights, buzzing electricity and rotating wonders are almost a sensory overload. Almost. Guided and self-guided tours available. American Sign Museum, 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington, americansignmuseum.org.

79. TAKE A TOUR OF THE WORLD’S ONLY VENTRILOQUISM MUSEUM Northern Kentucky’s Vent Haven is the only museum in the world dedicated to the art of ventriloquism. In addition to more than 900 figures, guests can view a library of vent-centric books, playbills and thousands of photographs. The museum also hosts the international ConVENTion every year for hundreds of ventriloquists. Vent Haven Museum, 33 W. Maple Ave., Fort Mitchell, venthaven.org.

80. BUY A TRINKET AT THE LUCK Y CAT MUSEUM Located inside Essex Studios, the museum boasts a one-of-a-kind collection of Japanese maneki neko “lucky cat” figures. The glass

displays stretch across the walls, containing thousands of styles, colors and sizes of cats.

Some are golden, others white with red ears and a green bib. Some don black fur or are chipped. Some are stuffed, others ceramic and plastic. There are some wacky ones, too.

All of them, however, carry an undeniable charm. There's even a gift shop, where you can purchase some luck of your own. Lucky Cat Museum, 2511 Essex Place, Walnut Hills, facebook.com/luckycatmuseum.

81. CRUISE DOWN THE OHIO RIVER ON A BB RIVERBOAT

Cincinnati was once a hub for steamboatpowered trade and travel, a legacy that lives on in the BB Riverboat fleet. A dinner or sightseeing cruise on one of their ships will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Mark Twain novel. BB Riverboat, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport, bbriverboats.com.

82. SEE HUMANS CATAPULT THEMSELVES DOWN A HILL ON A BIG WHEEL BIKE DURING PENDLETON’S DANGER WHEEL

This annual tournament features teams of three — one to drive and two to give a running start — competing for the title of “Danger Champion.” Racers zip downhill on two-block courses that change throughout the day. It costs to compete, but spectators can watch it all unfold for free while indulging in offerings from local brewers and food trucks. Danger Wheel, dangerhweel.com.

83. RIDE THE STREETCAR

While originally a contentious public transportation project, the streetcar — currently officially known as the Cincinnati Bell Connector — now offers riders the chance to travel a 3.6-mile loop from Findlay Market to The Banks downtown. With 18 stops (entertainingly narrated by hometown celebrity Nick Lachey), it’s certainly one way to get around whether you’re a tourist or playing one for the weekend. Cars come along every 12 to 15ish minutes and take you past cultural destinations like Music Hall, the Contemporary Arts Center and Fountain Square. Tickets are $2 for a day pass, so it’s a cost-effective way to see city highlights (and/or bar hop) without using your legs. cincinnati-oh.gov/streetcar.

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A beverage drive-thru with aboveaverage pizza, including the Lotta Trotta big-ass pie, available in a variety of interesting topping combinations: the Salami Roll-Up (salami, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and provolone), Chili Pizza (chili and cheddar cheese) and Hot Wing (hot wing sauce, bits of blue cheese, chicken and provolone). Have you actually ever been to the West Side if you’ve never been to Trotta’s? Trotta’s Pizza, 3501 Werk Road, Westwood, trottaspizza.net.

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84. GR AB SOME DRIVE-THRU ‘ZA AT TROT TA’S PIZZA

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85. SEE AND BE SEEN AT ZIEGLER POOL

Located in Ziegler Park, this renovated OTR pool is not only a community hot spot, but also a hip place to see and be seen. Partly because of the location (across from Alumni Lofts in the former School for Creative and Performing Arts), partly because of the cost (daily admission is $4 for adults, with free passes allocated for qualifying neighborhood residents) and partly because of the features. There’s a zero-depth entry, lap lanes and a rock climbing wall that arcs out over the water. Pool chairs are available, but seating is first come, first served, so go early on the weekends if you’re looking to lounge.

There is a concession stand with Popsicles, soda, etc., and guests are allowed to bring in their own food. No alcohol is served at the pool or allowed to be brought in, but Ziegler does have a liquor license for private events like the monthly Adult Swim parties, sponsored

by Rhinegeist and featuring a DJ. Ziegler Pool, 216 Woodward St., Overthe-Rhine, zieglerpark.org.

86. DRINK A LOCAL BEER AT WASHINGTON PARK

Washington Park is a six-acre dream urban escape, complete with a water feature, dog park, playground and its own recently renovated deck bar, which is open seasonally and serves wine, liquor and local craft beer.

A new permanent roof structure offers shade and industrial decor vibes, plus cover for additional seating. Sidle up to teal bartop seating and order a brew from Taft’s Ale House, Rhinegeist, Fifty West or the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org.

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87. EAT A L ATE-NIGHT 3-WAY

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Basic beginner stuff, but you can’t be a real Cincinnatian without eating Cincinnati chili. Find it at mom-and-pop parlors, local chains and even veganized. The combo of spaghetti, chili and bright-orange cheese is good any time of day, but especially after a night of drinking. Luckily, plenty of parlors are open late, if not 24 hours, including Camp Washington Chili. A James Beard Award winner, Camp opened its doors in 1940, and Johnny Johnson — the patriarch of the ownership family — has been working at the parlor since 1951. It’s open 24/6; they’re closed on Sundays.

88. EAT A BUSKEN SMILEY FACE COOKIE

Busken Bakery opened in 1928 and quickly became a Cincinnati staple with delicious donuts, bread and apple pies. These classic cookies — decorated with a neon-yellow smiley face — are synonymous with the shop. Grab one at your local Busken Bakery, Kroger or UDF to add a smile to your own face. Multiple locations, busken.com.

PHOTO: HAILEY BOLLINGER

89. REMEMBER HISTORY’S HEROES AT THE FREEDOM CENTER

Using the city’s historical ties to the antislavery movement, the mission of the Freedom Center is “to inspire modern abolition through connecting the lessons of the Underground Railroad with today’s freedom fighters.” Permanent exhibits include a rebuilt 1800s slave pen, The Struggle Continues and a piece of the Berlin Wall.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown, freedomcenter.org.

90. STARGAZE AT THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY

Known as "The Birthplace of American Astronomy," the Cincinnati Observatory is the first public observatory in America and home to one of the oldest working telescopes.

The 19th-century telescopes are still used to give visitors an up-close look at the stars.

The observatory is open most Thursday and Friday nights (and some Saturday nights) for astronomer presentations and a guided stargaze. Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observatory Place, Hyde Park, cincinnatiobservatory.org.

91. RIDE CAROL ANNE’S CAROUSEL AT SMALE RIVERFRONT PARK

Carol Anne’s Carousel at Smale Riverfront Park features 42 hand-carved Cincy-centric animal characters on which to ride (plus 16 hand-painted, stylized landscape murals from local artist Jonathan Queen). The glass-enclosed attraction is rain- and snowresistant, making it a whimsical year-round pleasure… because the joy of riding Martha the last passenger pigeon, a queen bee or the Findlay Market pig around in circles diminishes significantly if you’re being pelted in the face with rain. In addition to the carousel, the park’s other interactive features include the Fath Fountain’s dancing water jets, a walking labyrinth, a foot piano (like in Big), bench swings with river views and an elevated pig sculpture you can climb into.

Smale Riverfront Park, 100 W. Mehring Way, Downtown, cincinnatiparks.com.

92. EAT AT A FISH FRY DURING LENT

Lenten season in Cincinnati can only mean one thing: Fish Fry Fridays are back. (That and someone you know has given up chocolate for 40 days.) Almost every church

in Cincinnati — and assorted savvy eateries — offer some type of special fried fish dish on Fridays. But the best way to get a dose of battered and crispy cod is to head down to any Catholic church and partake in the ageold tradition of abstaining from meat at the end of the week. Even if you’re not Catholic, it’s a great way to socialize and enjoy some greasy comfort food (and sometimes beer).

One must-attend Lenten event is the Mary, Queen of Heaven Fish Fry (1130 Donaldson Road, Erlanger), home of the “codfather.”

This fry boasts a huge menu of Icelandic cod including a signature Holy Haddock sandwich and coveted appearances by the namesake Codfather, aka John Geisen, the CEO of Izzy’s, who dresses in Mafioso gear and carries around a huge stuffed fish for cherished photo ops.

93. ICE SK ATE ON FOUNTAIN SQUARE

From Halloween through President’s Day, the bulk of Fountain Square transforms into a public ice rink for skaters to enjoy for a reasonable rate. Skate rentals are available on-site, as are concessions with hot, cold, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Bring your family or a date, or just laugh from

the sidelines as people struggle to stay on their feet. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

94. TAKE A TOUR OF ROOK WOOD POT TERY Founded by artist Maria Longworth-Nichols in the 1800s, Rookwood Pottery was one of the first female-owned manufacturing companies in the United States. Each piece of tile and pottery is molded, hand-glazed and fired by a team of in-house artists. Tours of the 88,000-square-foot working ceramics factory are offered every Friday at the flagship store in Over-the-Rhine, led by a Rookwood historian. Rookwood Pottery, 1920 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, rookwood.com.

95. WATCH PL ANES TAKE OFF AND L AND AT THE CVG AIRCR AFT VIEWING AREA If you like watching airplanes, the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport is certainly a top spot for you. And right nearby, CVG’s viewing area is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and has picnic tables, a playground (with planeshaped attractions), portable potties and an entertaining and up-close view of planes as they enter and leave the city. Informational signage lists optimal viewing times, gives info on different aircraft and more. CVG Aircraft Viewing Area, 1459 Donaldson Highway, Erlanger, cvgairport.com/about/tour/ viewing-area.

96. VISIT THE CIT Y’S FIRST POLICE DOG AT THE POLICE MUSEUM

Handsome was the city’s first police dog.

Found by a patrolman in 1898 as an abandoned puppy, the mutt quickly became a fixture at the police station and soon joined daily patrols, chasing down thieves and murderers. He reportedly assisted in hundreds of arrests in the course of his career. After his death in 1912, the beloved beast was stuffed and placed in a glass case to honor his contributions. He is now on public view at the Greater Cincinnati Police Museum, also home to thousands of local law enforcement artifacts and a memorial wall to fallen local, state and federal officers. Greater Cincinnati Police Museum, 308 Reading Road, Pendleton, police-museum.org.

97. COUNT THE GARGOYLES AT COVINGTON’S MINI NOTRE DAME

Modeled after Notre Dame in Paris, the Gothicstyle Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption on Madison Avenue features 26 Italian-carved gargoyle water spouts, flying buttresses, vaulted arches, columns and one of the world’s largest church stained-glass windows.

A perfect substitute while the original Notre Dame is being rebuilt. Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, 1140 Madison Ave., Covington, covcathedral.com.

98. FIND HUMANIT Y IN THE DARK AT THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANIT Y CENTER AT UNION TERMINAL

Founded in 2000 by Holocaust survivors and their families, the Holocaust & Humanity Center relocated from its former home in a Jewish day school in Kenwood to a 7,500-square-foot

exhibition space in the Cincinnati Museum Center. Through moving and modern displays, artifacts, photographs and audio and visual media, the center tells of the mass murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. And while the museum shows how the Holocaust was a horrific event centered in Europe that spotlighted humanity at its worst, it also explains how it has had a long-lasting impact in Greater Cincinnati by including stories of those survivors who either escaped the Nazis or survived their death camps and came here to start new lives — often arriving at Union Terminal, the grounds of the museum itself, making for a uniquely meaningful experience. Holocaust & Humanity Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate, holocaustandhumanity.org

99. DRESS UP FOR A PERFORMANCE AT MUSIC HALL

This 19th-century landmark is home to some of Cincinnati's finest arts groups, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Opera. The splendor of the performances is matched by the magnificent interior of the venue, which underwent a significant renovation (completed in 2017) that included acoustic upgrades, new fixtures, more legroom and interesting tech. Embrace the sophisticated elegance by donning your best dress or suit before heading out for an evening of high art. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiarts.org/music-hall.

100. DEVOUR A HOLTMAN’S DONUT

Holtman’s will give you a reason to crawl out of bed on a weekend morning. The Lovelandbased operation now has multiple locations that serve up their flaky melt-in-your mouth donuts. Lines for the pastries often wrap outside the door and with good reason: the bakery serves up an array of options — from classic glazed to toasted coconut to lemonicing-dusted with Fruity Pebbles — to suit any craving. East Siders, rejoice: Later this year, the family-owned business plans to open their fifth location in Oakley. Multiple locations, holtmansdonutshop.com.

101. WATCH CARS SMASH EACH OTHER AT THE HAMILTON COUNT Y FAIR DEMOLITION DERBY

Rev your engines and call your 4-H Club: the Hamilton County Fair is an annual extravaganza featuring a midway full of rides and games, livestock displays, arts and crafts exhibits, carnival food, giant tomatoes and all the rest of the wholesome county antics you’d expect. Things generally kick off with a celebrity demolition derby followed by non-celebrity demolition derbies throughout the rest of the week. Nothing says fun like watching drivers bash their already-old cars into smithereens. Wander the grounds to find other activities like a petting zoo, circus acts, live music and blue ribbon displays in the exhibition halls. Hamilton County Fairgrounds, 7801 Anthony Wayne Ave., Carthage, hamiltoncountyfair.com.

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STUFF TO DO

Ongoing Shows VISUAL ART: No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man Cincinnati Art Museum, Mount Adams (through Sept. 2)

THURSDAY 15

MUSIC: Iron Maiden brings Heavy Metal to Riverbend Music Center. See Sound Advice on page 42.

MUSIC: Folks/Roots duo Madison Violet heads to the Southgate House Revival. See Sound Advice on page 42.

FRIDAY 16

PHOTO: MIKKI SCHAFFNER PHOTOGRAPHY

Isle of Man.) Think you’ve got knobby knees? Try your hand — er, knees — at the Knobbiest Knees contest, which is just one of nine wacky contests alongside the Tallest Tale and Haggis Toss. Other highlights include a dart tournament, a Scottish and Irish whiskey tasting tent and a Highland Dancing competition. Expect traditional dishes including Scotch eggs, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage, with Irish beer to wash it all down.

There will also be Irish and Celtic bands onstage throughout the weekend.

5-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m.

Sunday. Free admission.

The Banks, Downtown, cincycelticfest.com. — NICK SULLIVAN

ONSTAGE: Ring of Fire Mama Mia did ABBA. Beautiful did Carole King. Now, Ring of Fire is doing Johnny Cash. Enjoy 31 songs from the legendary musician’s extensive discography as they are brought to life onstage by talented local actor-musicians who take on multiple roles and play their

own instruments. Adapted from the Broadway production, the show features hits including “Folsom Prison Blues,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “I Walk the Line” and the titular “Ring of Fire.” 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday; 8 p.m.

Aug. 23 and 24. $28-$42.

Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com. — NICK SULLIVAN EVENT: My Black Family Reunion This three-day family festival is celebrating its 31st anniversary in 2019. As one of “Cincinnati’s largest family-focused events,” the Black Family Reunion will bring attendees, nonprofits and businesses together to celebrate the strengths and values of the black family.

This year’s theme is Embracing Our Excellence and will feature a parade, amateur boxing event, free health screenings, food vendors, live music from acts like Tony Toni Tone, a basketball tournament, a Sunday

church service, AfricanAmerican heritage vendors and more. Main events take place at Sawyer Point (705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown) with satellite events around town, including the parade, which steps off from the Avondale Town Center (3529 Reading Road) at 10 a.m. Saturday. The main Black Family Reunion Celebration takes place noon-9 p.m. Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday at Sawyer Point, with additional events Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Get event dates, times and venues at myblackfamilyreunion.org. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: Cincinnati Leather Weekend Cincinnati Leather Weekend is a three-day event for the leather and kink community featuring a drag show, classes, a contest, dance party and victory brunch.

Originally conceived as Mr. Cincinnati Leather in 2012, the event was renamed Cincinnati Leather in 2018

to be more inclusive. This year’s Cincinnati Leather events kick off Friday with a drag show at the Woodward Theater and a chance to meet the contestants of Saturday’s Cincinnati Leather Contest. Contestants are all 21 and older, live in the Greater Cincinnati area and “work to grow and maintain the community through visibility, fundraising and by creating gathering spaces.”

Before the competition at the Woodward on Saturday, Below Zero Lounge will be hosting a free kink and fetish education “Kink U” workshop, which includes live and hands-on demos.

There is also a Saturday happy hour at the Mini Microcinema for women and non-binary folx. Sunday, recover from Saturday evening’s festivities with a Victory Brunch at MOTR Pub featuring the contest winner, other contestants and visiting leatherfolk. After brunch, head to the Mount CONTINUES ON PAGE 26

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FILM: Auntie Mame in Eden Park Free films screen at Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park with a bonus: free live music.

This Friday catch the Oscarnominated Auntie Mame, the

1950s Technicolor comedy about everyone’s favorite wacky Manhattan aunt and her orphaned nephew, who eventually learns to love Mame’s free-spirited ways.

Known for quotes like, “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!,” this ribald (but all-ages) cinematic experience will include pre-show tunes by Jake Speed & the Freddies as well as on-site concessions from Empanadas Aqui and Happy Hippo Shaved Ice. 7 p.m. Friday.

Free. Seasongood Pavilion, 950 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, facebook.com/ mtadamscinemainthecity.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

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EVENT: Cincinnati Celtic Festival Celebrate your Celtic heritage at this three-day event — or celebrate somebody else’s because traditional fare and live entertainment are open to people of all ancestry. (According to the fest, the Celtic nations are Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and the

The cast of Ring of Fire (left to right): Steve Goers, Brad Myers, Beth Harris, Hunter Henrickson and Zack Steele

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COMEDY: Kenny DeForest Originally from Springfield, Missouri, comedian Kenny DeForest became part of the Chicago stand-up comedy scene before moving to New York a few years ago. “I’m about to turn 33 and I just started reading,” he tells an audience. “Guess I was just partying. Then I had to stop so my life wouldn’t fall apart, and now I’m like, ‘Let’s see what these words are all about.’” One thing he’s been reading about is toxic masculinity. “The first time I read the phrase ‘toxic masculinity,’ I assumed it was what turned Dwayne Johnson into The Rock. I wish it was that; it’s way lamer.” In 2017, DeForest released an album, B.A.D. Dreams, and has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers as well as The Late Late Show with James Corden. Through Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy. com. — P.F. WILSON

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Adams Pavilion for a Sunday Funday Tea Dance from 4-7 p.m., followed by afterparties at The Birdcage and Bar 901 starting at 8 p.m.

Basically, it’s a whole lotta leather packed into a little ol’ weekend. Find a full list of details, ticket prices and venues at cincinnatileather. com. — MAIJA ZUMMO

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE ‘DON’T MISS’ EVENTS

SEP. 23 - 29

OCT. 14 - 20

SATURDAY 17

ART: Fronkenstein: A Retrospective of the Works of Robert Fronk is on view at Thunder-Sky, Inc. See review on page 30.

EVENT: Makerspace: Glow, Radiate and Blink!

Get ready for BLINK 2019 with this Makerspace workshop at the CAC. The BLINK art and light festival will span 30 blocks and cross the Ohio River from Oct. 10-13 with large-scale projection mapping, murals, interactive light sculptures and live entertainment.

Learn how to make your own work of luminary art and awesome party hats in this class, which will teach attendees how to create paper circuits, color changing light-up balloons and the science behind why things glow in the dark. The Makerspace is a “new kind of workspace that provides

the community with the opportunity to work with tools for making, digital design and fabrication and coaches to assist in learning the techniques.” This event is kid-friendly. 1-3 p.m. Saturday. Free. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown, facebook.com/ cincycac. — MAIJA ZUMMO EVENT: An Afternoon with the Beer Barons Do you like beer and dead people? The Spring Grove Heritage Foundation does, too, and its annual An Afternoon with the Beer Barons explores both via tours and tastings (of beer, not people). Docents will lead guests on guided, air-conditioned motor coach jaunts of the final resting places of famous local beer kingpins like Christian Moerlein and John Kauffman, relating tales of their history and alcoholic achievements along the way.

Local living brewers — including those from Brink Brewing, Christian Moerlein, MadTree, Fretboard, Swine City and more — will be on hand so you can sample their most popular and unique beers.

There will snacks from food trucks Patriot Grill PHOTO: PROVIDED BY CIT Y FLEA

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NOVEMBER 2

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FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT CITYBEAT.COM

and Peace Pizza and live music from the Cincy River Rats. Strictly 21 and up. 4-7 p.m. Saturday. $30; $20 designated driver. Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove. org. — MAIJA ZUMMO

SUNDAY 18

EVENT: Burlington Antique Show As the Midwest’s premier antique market, the Burlington Antique Show is celebrating almost four decades of bringing the best antiques and vintage collectibles to the Boone

SATURDAY 17

EVENT: City Flea + Kids Market Though the City Flea occurs monthly in the summertime, August’s rendition is special in that it’s adding a little fun courtesy of kid makers. In addition to regular vendor participants, 33 local kids will also be showcasing their work and getting a taste for small business at this market. All 33 spots, which were given on a first-come, first-served basis, have been filled, but interested kids can sign up to be added to the waitlist. Shop local and support these mini makers.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Overthe-Rhine, thecityflea.com.

— NICK SULLIVAN

SUNDAY 18

EVENT: Wave Pool Fifth Anniversary Pool Party The Camp Washington art and community engagement space Wave Pool is celebrating five years of making waves with a block party. Come out to the blocked-off Rachel Street to enjoy art and connect with your neighbors. There will be free food served from La Soupe’s community paella pan, drinks, a putt-putt course, the POPP=D mobile gallery, Take A Moment Studio T-shirts, artist-in-residence Abigail Smithson’s interactive basketball activity, the Archive of Creative Culture’s Argosy Airstream, live performances from local bands Blossom Hall, Freedom Nicole Moore and Upstairs and the results of a drawing marathon.

Wave Pool says to “come in your swim trunks.” 4-8 p.m. Sunday.

Free admission. Wave Pool, 2940 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, facebook.com/wavepoolgallery. — EMMA STIEFEL

MONDAY 19

documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Etheridge has long used her platform to advocate for many causes, especially when they involve things with which she’s had direct experience. Since coming into the public eye, she has been outspoken about LGBTQ rights and also supported breast cancer awareness orgs, music education groups and numerous other endeavors.

In April, Etheridge released her 15th studio album, The Medicine Show, on which she sings about various forms of wellness and healing, including the tragedy of the opioid crisis and the curative powers of cannabis.

“Calling the album The Medicine Show puts straight up, front and center, that this is about health, wellness, cannabis, this new thought, new paradigm, however you want to talk about it, however you want to understand it,” she says in a press release.

7:30 p.m. Monday. $29.50$58.50. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org. — MIKE BREEN

VISIT OUR MEAT SHOPPE High-Grade, Exotic, & Aged

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TUESDAY 20

MUSIC: Mebers of Hip Hop collective Hieroglyphics head to The Mockbee. See Sound Advice on page 43.

YOUR WEEKEND TO DO LIST: LOCAL.CITYBEAT.COM

Junglejims.com

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MUSIC: Melissa Etheridge Melissa Etheridge began her career in 1988 with a self-titled album, which included one of her signature songs, “Bring Me Some Water.” In 1993, Etheridge came out as lesbian and also released her breakthrough album, Yes I Am, notching hits like “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” Following numerous Grammy nominations and a string of critically and commercially well-received albums, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 after the release of her eighth full-length, Lucky. She made a stirring return to the stage at the 2005 Grammys ceremony, performing “Piece of My Heart” in tribute to Janis Joplin. In 2006 Etheridge won the Best Original Song Academy Award for “I Need to Wake Up,” her contribution to the climate-change

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County Fairgrounds. More than 200 dealers converge the third Sunday of the month (through October) to exhibit and sell their authentic wares — Midcentury Modern, Art Deco, pre-war, Industrial and more.

It’s generally pretty crowded, so if you’re a real hunter, aim for early-bird admission ($6; 6-8 a.m.) 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. $4. Boone County Fairgrounds, 5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington, burlingtonantiqueshow.com.

— MAIJA ZUMMO

P H OTO : PR OV I D E D BY WAV E P O O L

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ARTS & CULTURE

Change is Brewing A group of professionals in the speciality coffee scene hope to shed light on workplace injustice and openly discuss barista rights

BY M AC K EN ZI E M A N L E Y

H

The Bitchy Baristas group formed in July PHOTO: K ALIE KR AUSE

a guidebook that lays out how to navigate mental health and emotional well-being in the workplace and how coworkers can help support one another. Snyder also formed a committee with another employee, saying that Deeper Roots gave them “free rein” to write out policies on how to deal with harassment from both customers and fellow employees.

“A common thing that I hear from every single person within this industry is that they feel alone, still,” Snyder says. “I mean, that’s why this group needs to happen.

Even if you just have baristas hanging out with each other, there’s power in that.”

By next year they hope to have a table to function as a rights booth at the Cincinnati Coffee Festival. Also on the horizon, they want to partner with employment lawyers willing to volunteer their time to speak to them about employee rights and discrimination. But, certainly, they’ve already made waves in the local specialty coffee scene.

The root of all outrage, Snyder says, is compassion. To that point, Mulisano says that she has felt the fear of speaking up and seeming like a “bitch” simply because she’s using her voice, but through connecting with Birrer and Snyder, she feels safe and supported. Together, their voices are stronger and louder — if that makes them seem bitchy, well, as Birrer puts it, “Fine.

I’m a bitchy barista then.”

If you’re interested in connecting with Bitchy Baristas, they can be reached via Instagram @bitchy.baristas or via email cincybarista@gmail.com.

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gear and education materials to minority baristas who otherwise cannot afford or access it.

As of now, Bitchy Baristas has three main goals. For starters, they want to be a safe space for anyone in the coffee industry to feel free to express themselves and connect with each other. Birrer says that they want to focus on underrepresented minorities — i.e. people of color, LGBTQ individuals, women, etc.

To foster this, they plan to host monthly meetups — their first was on July 9 — to get to know one another in a fun, positive environment.

“What’s so nice about specialty coffee is it gives you the opportunity to make people feel special,” Birrer says. “But you yourself can feel special, too.”

The second point hinges on the concept of baristaship, which takes into account not only a barista’s professional development but also their personal well-being. With their organization, they hope to create a space for baristas to teach their peers skill sets. The same goes for roasters. Many specialty coffee businesses ask that their employees become certified in varying techniques, which more often than not require classes that can be costly if paying out of pocket. (Rohs pays for their employees to take courses.)

“Maybe we can’t have people get certified or anything, but we can improve their everyday knowledge and give them the competency to learn on their own,” Birrer says. “Because sometimes people are so afraid to even start learning on their own.”

Currently, Snyder is working to create

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— a People’s Liberty grant recipient that brought traditional Turkish coffee to Overthe-Rhine — to have monthly pop-ups at Rohs (the first is next month).

Birrer started working at Rohs earlier this summer and when she first voiced her idea for Bitchy Baristas to Mulisano, she was completely on board — as was the management at Rohs. Snyder feels the same support from Deeper Roots. But they’re quick to note that not all baristas or roasters have the privilege to work in such supportive environments.

In part, Bitchy Baristas found inspiration from a group in America’s coffee capital, Seattle. In June, a group of five baristas from popular coffeehouse Slate Coffee Roasters taped their resignation letters to their storefront’s door, alleging late paychecks and the management’s failure to address what they called a “toxic work environment.”

Following the walkout, they formed Coffee at Large, which has since amassed over 8,000 followers on Instagram and is working “to shed light upon workplace injustice in the specialty coffee world.”

Birrer says she reached out to the organization when first forming Bitchy Baristas — they have been supportive from the start.

One of Coffee at Large’s founders, Felix Tran, even designed Bitchy Baristas’ logo, a portafilter cleverly designed like a scepter from Sailor Moon. The trio points to a host of other organizations that have inspired them. Among them is #CoffeeToo — which aims to provide resources to put an end to discrimination and harassment — and Getchu Some Gear, which sends coffee

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olly Birrer, Gabriella Mulisano and Christina Snyder met me on a rainy July afternoon at Clifton’s Rohs Street Cafe, where the first two work as baristas. The third, Snyder, just finished a roasting session for Deeper Roots, where they work. Typical coffeehouse ambiance fills the moment: wafting conversations, the clanging of ceramic mugs, soft music.

The trio feels unified despite not having known each other for long. There’s a reason for that: Bitchy Baristas. The group’s Instagram page (@bitchy.baristas) was founded in early July with the goal of creating a safe space for Cincinnati’s specialty coffee community to openly discuss barista rights and, ultimately, create change for the better. (Barista is a non-gendered term.)

It was an idea that Birrer says she first began brainstorming over two months ago as she “was fuming just thinking about all the things that are happening in the specialty coffee world,” especially locally.

She wanted to do something but at the time she didn’t know exactly what that was.

It was through a woman she had worked with five years ago at another workplace coming to her and discussing problems she was facing as a working barista that made Birrer come to the conclusion that she could no longer keep quiet.

“The fact that she felt safe enough to come to me was like, OK, that means there are other people,” Birrer says. “Since then, I’ve had a couple of other people come and talk to me, confide in me and I’ve helped two people get jobs; I just want people to be in safe places that value and respect them.”

Bitchy Barista’s initial Instagram post reinforces that sentiment: “You are not alone. Your voice matters, your experience matters. And we are here for you. We deserve to feel SAFE in our workplaces without fear of upper management. We deserve living wages and transparency. No more theft of labor. No more sexual harassment. No more discrimination.”

Aside from helping people land jobs locally and holding conversations, they also helped organize for Rüya Coffee

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VISUAL ART

Starring 2014 Tony Award-nominee Mary Bridget Davies

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 · 7:30 PM Aronoff Center · Procter & Gamble Hall · CincinnatiArts.org · (513) 621-ARTS (2787)

· Aronoff Center Ticket Office · Group Sales (10+): (513) 977-4157

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MEDIA SPONSOR

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A Dive Into Collective Consciousness

BY J U D E N O EL

Check your pretension at the door. Thunder-Sky, Inc.’s latest batch of exhibitions, all three of which opened Aug. 10, examine pop culture in a strikingly sincere light, rendering its comforts and pitfalls through the lens of folk art.

In the Northside gallery’s main space, Fronkenstein takes a retrospective look at the career of Camp Washington painter and polymath Robert Fronk, whose body of work spans nearly four The Fronkenstein exhibition at Northside’s Thunder-Sky, Inc. decades and includes a PHOTO: MACKENZIE MANLEY vast array of media. Most noticeable from the street Ghosts in the Machine are his assemblages: imposing, primaryThunder-Sky’s basement appeared to colored sculptures that resemble large, be the site of a surrealist costume party metallic Tinker Toy creations. on Aug. 10. A cardboard model of the Constructed from foundry materials USS Enterprise dangled from the ceiling, in the late-aughts, Fronk’s structures feel surrounded by tissue paper meteors, as like the product of a scrambled timeline. A a painted standee of Charlie Brown in horizontally-arranged piece, for instance, his bedsheet ghost costume stood watch resembles the fossilized remains of an below. Disco ball lights darted about the aquatic dinosaur despite its industrial floor. aesthetic. A winged robot that could be “This is like our Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” mistaken for the Mothman is a glimpse at said Banner, which is as apt a description the future as seen from the past. as any.

Though he wasn’t aware of the connecCurated by Cincinnati street artist tion until completing them, Fronk — who Technique2012, See Ghosts Clearly melds showed up to the opening in a cowboy hat the paranormal with the everyday, and plastic-doll-hand necklace — says collecting the work of nearly 20 artists. that the readymade sculptures took some The exhibition’s most eye-catching tends inspiration from the forward-thinking to revolve around the allure of television. work of the early 20th century.

On the right side of the basement gallery, “I didn’t intend on it, but when I put that you’ll likely be drawn to “And They Would piece on top of that head, I was like, ‘If this Have Gotten Away with It Too…,” a deep is not the Italian Futurists, Duchamp, Batpurple painting in which Scooby Doo man, then I don’t know what,’ ” he says. and the gang stumble upon a hanged Fronk sees completing a project as akin Klan member in the woods. Installed to placing the last piece in a puzzle — he’s directly beneath it is “We Are Innocent, opposed to working with a particular We Are Kids,” in which the painted bars concept in mind; instead he lets ideas form of a cage and an imprisoned child are organically as he progresses. Nowhere superimposed over a television’s static. is this process more evident than in his Humor and horror intersect often in stained glass window, produced in collabSee Ghosts, which also features visual oration with local artist Gillian Thompson. references to Bird Box, The Wizard of Oz, “It’s an amalgamation of several salvaged Aleister Crowley and the Grateful Dead. To stained glass windows,” says Thunder-Sky step into Thunder-Sky’s basement is to dive co-founder Keith Banner. “There are glass into the collective consciousness: obsessed boulders that come into the frame here with its pop-cultural icons, but made and there.” murky by its wavering trust in institutions.

There’s an ominous quality to Fronk’s Next door at the Comet, Matthew seraphic scene. Though its glass puzzle Waldeck’s Superhero Mashup reimagines pieces fit together perfectly, the window’s members of the Looney Tunes cast as comic wonky breaks in shape and color create book heroes. a disorienting, yet entrancing effect. A Ever thought Daffy Duck would make winged angel in the center of the piece a better Hawkeye than Jeremy Renner? occupies the foreground and background Can’t shake the thought of Wile E. Coyote at the same time, phasing through a latwielding the Green Lantern’s power? Well, tice of red halos and cathedral walls as its speculate no further — Waldeck has all hands reach out in impossible contortions. your crossover needs covered.

A yellow skull peeks out knowingly from Fronkenstein; See Ghosts Clearly and below.

Superhero Mashup run through Oct. 4. For more info, visit raymondthundersky.org.

FILM

Nightmare Fuel for a New Generation R E V I E W BY JAC K I E M U L AY

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

“Sarah Bellows tell me a story.” These are the words that propel Alvin Schwartz’s infamously gruesome children’s story collection, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark — now off of the page and onto the screen.

Set in 1968, Scary Stories opens on a small Pennsylvania town on Halloween night. As we pan over this quintessential Rust Belt suburb, the archetypal horror flick song, Donovan’s “Season of the Witch,” Austin Zajur in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark sets the tone. This cliché is the last bit of run-of-theP H O T O : G E O R G E K R AY C H Y K mill ’70s-era horror we get, as director André Øvredal the source material. immediately plays with expectation in Scary Stories is successful because it’s the face of classic films like Halloween actually scary. Øvredal creates exceptional and more contemporary horror works like dread using dark, unflinching silence.

Stranger Things.

Sure, this does mean that the jump scares Unlike the books, and to the film’s abound — but that’s easily the most success, Scary Stories isn’t an anthology. underrated tactic in today’s jaded notion Rather, the film follows three companions of horror. It may not be the total gore fest and their new friend as they explore the or drug-induced hysteria that R-rated truth behind the town’s most infamous films give, but it does harken back to a urban legend. more recent golden age of horror movies Childhood friends Stella (Zoe Margaret from the early aughts; all PG-13, but still Colletti), Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck unsettling enough to delight and unnerve (Austin Zajur) begin the night with a plan viewers. to exact revenge on local bully Tommy Schwartz’s book series is notorious (Austin Abrams). When their plan goes for the ghastly and deeply disturbing horribly wrong, they seek shelter in a illustrations artist Stephen Gammell stranger’s car at a drive-in theater. Sparks created to accompany the stories. fly between the nomadic Ramón (Michael Gammell’s gaunt faces, though minimal, Garza) and Stella, who, eager to spend effectively used color and wispy, spindling more time with the handsome newcomer, lines that haunted readers for life. suggests a spooky Halloween trip to the From the grotesque scarecrow Harold to local haunted house. the shuffling and rasping corpse in search After a quick breaking-and-entering act, of her lost toe, Scary Stories features the the four explore the massive Gothic mansame gruesome images that terrified and sion as Stella regales them with the legend inspired young readers, but animated of Sarah Bellows, a young woman who was in a way that fulfills every child’s worst rumored to have been locked away in the nightmare. underbelly of the house where she told the Though clunky and simplistic at times, local children stories through the walls. the script itself imposes a wonderful But the big hook of Sarah’s story goes juxtaposition between the scary moments further: everyone who has heard one of her of an urban legend come to life and the tales has died. When the tweens find Sarah events that unfold during the peak of Bellows’ underground chamber, aspiring political unrest surrounding Richard horror writer Stella can’t resist stealing her Nixon’s impending presidential stint and book of stories away for some light, nightthe Vietnam War. time reading.

Del Toro and his fellow screenwriters, But each night, a new story begins brothers Kevin and Dan Hageman, make writing itself, weaving a terrifying fate for this subplot more subtle than overt, and anyone who has encountered the book. though it may seem as if they don’t inter“Harold,” “The Red Spot,” “The Dream” sect, the two plots meet at the film’s climax and several other of Schwartz’s iconic in a subtle yet powerful way. Using human stories come to life onscreen; with king of lives to shield unpleasant truths orcheshorror Guillermo del Toro as the producing trated by pride and greed is a big message force behind this adaptation, they don’t to send to tweens, but del Toro is (cordisappoint. rectly) confident that they can handle it.

Whether it’s the prospect of spiders Scary Stories does more than scare its bursting through a spot on your face, or audience — it imparts the importance quietly and slowly being cornered by a pale of telling stories. (In theaters) (PG-13) and grotesque figure, Øvredal leans into Grade: A-

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Girls Rock Empowers Future Musicians

BY M O R G A N Z U M B I EL

Girls Rock is empowering the next generation of Cincinnati’s great musicians during a weeklong music and creative arts summer camp for girls and gender-variant youth.

Girls Rock began in Portland, Oregon in 2001. Now, the official Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA) has grown to include over 60 camps internationally, although the Cincinnati team estimates that there are closer to 100 including non-affiliated camps that hold the same ethos and structure as those in the Last year’s Girls Rock camp in Columbus GRCA. After volunteering at PHOTO: PROVIDED BY GIRLS ROCK COLUMBUS Girls Rock Columbus, which just “As a non-binary person, it’s so necessary held its sixth year of camp, Girls to feel represented and seen by the people Rock Cincinnati Director Marlo Salem and that you’re working with,” Salem says. co-organizer Holly Meyer were inspired to “Historically, the people who have access to start a camp in the Queen City, which just practicing, being good at (and) making a wrapped up its inaugural year. living off music are white men.”

“I do a lot of work with youth and have my Salem says it’s important “all of the entire short adult life,” says Meyer, who is facets of underserved identities are an elementary music teacher. “I had never welcomed and uplifted and encouraged” at been a part of a program that allowed for the camp — regardless of what school they so much creative expression without any attend, their family’s income, where they boundaries. I had never been in a space live or how they identify. where I had seen teens feel that confident “You will have a place here,” Salem says. to be their authentic selves.”

“Save for cis men and boys.”

Over the course of the week, middle and On that note, co-organizer Emily Ash high school-aged campers take lessons in adds that’s “because they have spaces drums, keys, guitar, bass and vocals; have everywhere else.” band practice; and write original songs.

Salem reiterates that point, citing that With the aim to nurture self-expression, most other spaces are male-dominated, there are also daily workshops taught by creating the need to carve out a place specommunity members covering an array of cifically for girls and gender-variant youth. subjects including screen printing, sound “Particularly in a city like Cincinnati this pedals, gardening, weaving, puppetry, is really important,” Ash says. “Not that it’s bracelet making and journaling. not important in every part of the world, The camp not only aims to foster because it is, but in a city that’s so racially the technical know-how to be a good segregated, and where it’s so uniquely musician, but also the emotional support, difficult to be a marginalized person of any encouragement and affirmation young kind, it’s just so vital to have these spaces people need to succeed. that are specifically for marginalized At lunchtime, campers — and their allpeople.” volunteer team of counselors — watched The Girls Rock team is already concerts and held Q&A sessions with looking toward the future of the camp local musicians, bands and DJs, including in Cincinnati. Eventually, they plan to Indie Pop act Knotts, Garage Pop duo officially join the GRCA and offer yearBlossom Hall and singer/songwriter Elsa round, all-ages programming throughout Kennedy. More than just a cool way to the city. More important than ever, spend the lunch hour, campers got the they emphasize, is providing the space, chance to connect with role models in the dedication and resources for creatives of community and see that pursuing a path all types to flourish. in music is a real option.

“At the risk of making myself cry, I “It’s a very common narrative to be the feel like I’m doing an act of good for my only girl in the band,” says co-organizer younger self,” Ash says. “This very much Anissa Pulcheon. “I have always worked feels like something that baby Emily would toward having spaces where there are be all about. I want these kids to have a more women and gender-variant people space where they know that they’re valued, involved. Being in a place where you see that their identities matter and where they other people who are like you — that’s feel like they belong.” super affirming.”

Operating on the belief that all people For more information on Girls Rock deserve access to creative outlets, Girls Cincinnati, visit girlsrockcinci.com.

Rock wants youth to know that they belong in the music and creative arts scene in Cincinnati and beyond.

TV

Corruption Abounds in Dark Satire ‘The Boys’ R E V I E W BY JAC K ER N

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Superhero stories have come a long way mess that they themselves made. But that from being relegated to comic books doesn’t mean they don’t have nemeses. for children. Franchises like the recordEnter the titular Boys, a group of supebreaking Avengers movies bring crowds of hating vigilantes, with good reason behind all ages and interests to theaters. And now their feelings. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) more than ever, these stories are getting leads the pack, distrusting anyone with gritty adaptations onscreen for strictly superpowers after a particularly unsavory adult audiences: think Deadpool, Jessica experience with Homelander.

Jones, Brightburn and Logan.

There are folks who have been burned In The Boys, based on the comic series by by supes, and casualties that go unseen.

Garth Ennis (the mastermind behind dark When you can travel faster than a bullet comics like Punisher, Preacher and Judge and are controlled by corporate interests Dredd), superheroes exist not so much in there’s bound to be collateral damage. the shadows, but as corrupt celebrities.

That fallout is especially personal for Not your average masked do-gooders, these heroes are commodities, owned by an evil corporation, Vought International, that monetizes, markets and weaponizes powerful people. And the most powerful group of all Vought’s “supes” is The Seven.

This superstar superhero team includes leader Homelander (Antony The Seven “supes” from The Boys Starr), whose patriPHOTO: COURTESY OF AMA ZON otic Superman persona belies his true nefarious nature; Queen Maeve (DomiHughie Campbell (Jack Quaid, son of Dennique McElligott), a once-benevolent Wonnis Quaid and Meg Ryan, FYI), who quite der Woman type who’s been worn down literally has his life ripped apart, albeit

by Vought; super-human speed demon accidentally, by one of The Seven. Justly A-Train (Jessie T. Usher); The Deep (Chace unsatisfied with a Vought lawyer’s offer for Crawford), a combo of Harvey Weinstein compensation in return for silence about and Aquaman; Black Noir (Nathan Mitchthe incident, Hughie meets Butcher and is ell), a perpetually silent, masked ninja; and pulled into the crosshairs of a war between Translucent (Alex Hassell), who can turn dangerous supes and the people who will invisible. As the series opens, the crew is take violent steps to expose them. Further looking for a seventh member to replace complicating matters, Hughie’s loyalties the retiring Lamplighter. are truly tested when he meets Annie, aka Annie January (Erin Moriarty) auditions Starlight, and unknowingly begins falling for the role, possessing the power to emit for a supe. blinding light. Symbolically, it’s a fitting The best part of The Boys is that all of its power to have — she truly is a good person gory, unflinching action-packed drama is who wants to save the world with her packaged as a dark comedy. For as disturbabilities. Annie gets a superhero starter kit: ing as the plot can get, there are always a catchy moniker — Starlight — a flashy laughs — often twisted and sardonic — costume…and a brand management team. around the corner. The show doesn’t take Shielded from The Seven’s sinister itself too seriously, yet features enough reality, Starlight is eager to prove herself winks and nudges to the real world that it worthy of joining the ranks of supes she’s feels like this is exactly what would happen idolized for years. Unfortunately, that if superheroes existed. (For what it’s worth, includes harassment, sexual coercion and I think Kris Jenner would be involved.) being forced to promote a pseudo-ChrisIt’s kind of amazing how many societal tian agenda. The Boys takes “never meet issues can be worked into a fast-paced your heroes” to another level. superhero show, from the #MeToo moveThe public worships The Seven like ment and all-powerful corporations to many do athletes or actresses — there’s celebrity worship and performancemerch, media, meet-and-greets. The enhancing drugs. These topics are not commentary on the corruption of celebrity always handled with delicate care, but they is supreme. With heroes like these, who make for an unsettling funhouse-mirrorneeds supervillains? image of our world today.

Oftentimes when The Seven come Contact Jac Kern: @jackern to “save the day,” they’re cleaning up a

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FOOD & DRINK

A Seat at the Table Cincinnati’s Table connects neighbors old, new and recently immigrated through a series of free, traveling dinner parties

BY M O R G A N Z U M B I EL

C

A Cincinnati’s Table dinner PH OTO: B IZ YO U N G

with a learning curve. “In Africa, you just meet someone on the street and you just talk. But here, you can’t just start a conversation,” she says. “I’m always striving for a community, you know? I left my community in Africa, and I’m always trying to find a place that feels like that.”

Cincinnati’s Table aims to bridge the gap in connection.

“That’s the goal of Cincinnati’s Table — to open the door for communication to people in the same neighborhood,” says Welcome Project manager Erika Nj Allen.

“When you share food, even with strangers, that opens this door that allows you to communicate, or at least try to be friendly or giving. ‘Thank you.’ A lot of people know what that means, even if it’s not your own language.”

For September’s event, everyone is invited to a special farm-to-table dinner at Cincinnati State that will feature the cooking of four to five chefs. The dinner will coincide with Welcoming Week, which includes thousands of events held across the country to unite immigrants and nonimmigrants in the same communities.

For more information on Cincinnati’s Table, visit welcomecincinnati.org.

FIND MORE RESTAURANT NEWS AND REVIEWS AT CITYBEAT.COM/ FOOD-DRINK

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

dinner parties celebrate good, home cooking en masse. True to its mission, Cincinnati’s Table creates the feeling you’re being fed right from your next-doorneighbor’s kitchen table.

“Food has a magical quality,” Schnure says. “As soon as you’re around a table with food you’re willing to talk and meet new people. It’s hard to get people in a room to talk to each other, but then you put food in between them and people can have conversations and not feel so awkward.”

The dinners also present an opportunity for immigrants to spread their love of their home countries.

“People see Africa as…it’s not a place that they wanna go,” Boakye says. “But Africa is beautiful. Our culture is beautiful. Our food is awesome. It’s a blessing. I just thank God that I get to share it with everybody.”

Empowerment through neighborly love and cross-cultural sharing is at the core of Cincinnati’s Table, especially when it can be so difficult to find a community in new places. Manzara Reed, who cooked her West African recipes for March’s dinner, was just 14 when she first moved to Atlanta from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

“As a teenager, that’s when you’re just figuring things out, and then you’re uprooted to another country, and you have to relearn everything,” she says.

For Reed — who goes straight for a hug when she meets someone new — even the way Americans make friends came

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Cincinnati’s Table has featured a full passport’s stamps worth of cuisine without ever leaving the city limits. In March, guests ate dinner at the Contemporary Arts Center amid the exhibition Archive As Action. In June, Cincinnati’s Table chefs took on the Cincinnati Refugee Day World Cup, cooking for hundreds of hungry soccer players and attendees at Xavier University.

In May, Cincinnati’s Table made its way to La Iglesia Episcopal church in Forest Park. A meeting hub for community groups from Nepal, Mexico and Ghana, the dinner became an international mixer that blended tradition, music and food from three tight-knight groups who had used the same gathering space but, up until the dinner, not known each other.

Esther Boakye, who is from the Ashanti region of Ghana, was among those at work prepping dinner, sharing a bustling kitchen with other chefs and helping hands all eager to distribute samples of the evening’s meal.

While dinner simmered on the stove, kids played games in the common area and those who didn’t cook watched, waited and tasted. A team of quick hands filled spicy momos, while others went to work on chow mien, rich pozole and tacos al pastor.

Boakye fried plantains and baked sheets of meat pies — an easy, crowd-pleasing pastry filled with corned beef and onion.

“Meat pies are what I do a lot at home, like almost every week,” she says. The

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incinnati’s Table is shaping communities one dinner party at a time. From October 2018 to October 2019, the traveling monthly series is hosting free dinners across the city with the goal of connecting immigrants and refugees to each other and their U.S.-born neighbors. Centered around themes such as “gratitude” or “exchange,” each meal features the cooking of immigrant chefs from across the globe and includes interactive activities to bring together groups of strangers, like guided meditations and round table discussions, art installations and simple projects.

Cincinnati’s Table is an effort of The Welcome Project, a social enterprise started in 2017 by Camp Washington’s Wave Pool gallery and the immigrant and refugee resource group Heartfelt Tidbits.

Part workshop, part retail space and part cozy hangout, the Welcome Project began as a way to empower Cincinnati’s “newest neighbors.” The Welcome Project, which operates next door to Wave Pool on Colerain Avenue, will expand to offer a market and teaching kitchen in November. Currently, individuals from countries including Iraq, Syria, Tanzania, Bhutan, Mexico and Nepal gather there for everything from ceramics classes and art openings to Spanish lessons and entrepreneurial workshops.

While language and cultural differences could at times make meeting new people difficult, food became an ever-reliable common denominator. In September 2018, the Welcome Project received a $15,000 grant from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati to bring Cincinnati’s Table to life.

“Welcome (Project) had done a couple of these welcome dinners,” says Abby Schnure, Wave Pool’s former administrative assistant. “We had already started doing events to showcase immigrant cooks and different types of food. It was kind of like a natural evolution.”

Since the inaugural dinner at Mount Healthy’s Tikkun Farm last October,

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THE DISH

Two Pop-Ups — a Bakery and a Coffee Shop — are Getting Northern Kentucky Storefronts

BY C I T Y B E AT S TA FF

North South Baking Co. to Open a Permanent Storefront in Ludlow, Kentucky

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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“It’s always been my goal,” says baker Kate Nycz of the upcoming brick-and-mortar version of her North South Baking Co. “I’ve been in the industry for 10 years, so I’ve worked at a handful of different bakeries, and I’ve always kind of had this image in my head of a stand-alone shop. At the point we’re at in production, we’re kind of maxed out, so in order to keep business moving, adding the five-day-a-week retail was the next step.”

North South Baking Co. produces artisan baked goods with a focus on local and sustainable ingredients. Find handmade breads and pastries like peach cruffins, pistachio rose croissants, apricot and raspberry pocket pies and savory options like croissants filled with local beets, arugula and feta — as seen in droolworthy photos on Instagram @northsouthbaking.

Nycz currently operates out of the Incubator Kitchen Collective, a commercial kitchen in Newport geared toward start-up businesses. She says she is hoping to open the new store at 471 Elm St. in Ludlow, Kentucky by the end of the year, if not by Thanksgiving.

In addition to Saturday pop-ups at the Covington Farmers Market, the bakery’s goods are sold at events and coffee shops around Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati including Mom ‘n ‘em in Camp Washington, Muse Cafe in Westwood, Fausto at the CAC, HomeMakers Bar in Over-the-Rhine, Otto’s in Covington and Carabello Coffee in Newport. North South will continue selling at these locations when the new store opens.

Nycz uses local ingredients whenever possible in her creations, buying directly from farmers and artisans.

Nycz says while the produce is unmatched in freshness and flavor, buying local has other benefits, too.

“You’re also developing a relationship

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INDIAN RESTAURANT

North South Baking Co. crafts artisan baked goods PHOTO: PROVIDED BY NORTH SOUTH BAKING CO.

with those people, so you’re building a bridge between the community that you serve with your products and the local farms that you get them from,” she says.

“It’s really important to me because we need to support our local economy.”

Find more info about North South Baking Co. and bakery news at northsouthbaking.com. — NICK SULLIVAN

Unataza Coffee’s Brick and Mortar is Coming Soon to Dayton, Kentucky Local coffee pop-up Unataza Coffee is opening a brick-and-mortar in Dayton,

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Unataza — “one mug” in Spanish — began in 2015 when owner Alejandra Flores wanted to find a way to connect two of the places she loves most through a medium she was passionate about.

“I began to notice how the people of (Northern Kentucky) and Cincinnati had developed a passion for specialty coffee. At the same time, I know Honduras is starting to be recognized as one of the countries that produces coffee of the best quality and taste,” an excerpt on the Unataza website explains. “Finally, it clicked, and Unataza was born.”

Flores, who is from Honduras, says Dayton, Kentucky has shown Unataza a lot

of support. “(The city has) expressed the need to have a local coffee shop or a place where they can gather,” she says. “Also, the city of Dayton is rapidly growing, developing new residential, commercial activities and keeping up with other Northern Kentucky cities located along the river.”

Unataza currently works with a single Honduran coffee farm, owned by Katia Duke. Duke and Flores met in 2017. Both women want to promote good quality coffee and female empowerment in a business that they say is male-dominated.

By having that direct connection, Flores is establishing a fair-trade coffee relationship with Duke. Fair-trade is a movement that makes sure the products are sustainable and the employees’ working conditions are ethical and safe, such as making sure that farm workers are properly paid and cared for. Flores plans to add more coffee farms from other regions of Honduras once Unataza expands.

In addition to serving coffee (roasted locally by La Terza), Unataza also brings Greater Cincinnati coffee enthusiasts to the plantations of Honduras where they can explore the process in order to get a deeper understanding behind the creation of coffee.

“Part of our business is to organize Coffee Origin trips to Honduras, which includes visit to the farms, community outreach and tourism. Having the store will allow us to share and promote more of this unique adventure,” Flores says. “We want to share the story of the farm and the community where the coffee is coming from.”

Unataza will be located at 620 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky and will be open daily and for private events in the evening.

Flores says she wants to do a social hour to learn Spanish or English or have coffee brewing classes.

For more info, visit facebook.com/ unataza.coffee. — ERIN GARDNER

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CLASSES & EVENTS WEDNESDAY 14

Tour de Halo — Busken Bakery has been touring its Halo Donut truck throughout Cincinnati, and this week it’s coming to Springdale. A Halo is an ice-cream-stuffed, hot-pressed glazed donut sandwich. The pop-up will be serving eight original and three signature flavors, including the Crown Jewel, stuffed with Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream. 4-9 p.m. Free admission. Busken Bakery, 365 W. Kemper Road, Springdale, facebook.com/ buskenbakery.

THURSDAY 15

Local Food Truck Tour: Greenhills — The Cincinnati Food Truck Association’s Third Thursday tour is stopping in Greenhills.

Come out for food trucks, music and beer, with a portion of beer sales benefitting Our Lady of The Rosary. 4-9 p.m. Free admission. Village of Greenhills, 11000 Winton Road, Greenhills, facebook. com/cincinnatifoodtruckassociation.

Exclusive Italian Wine Dinner — Feel like you’re in Italy for the night at Carlo & Johnny. The five-course meal created by Executive Chef Donny Hatton is paired with Italian wines selected

by Advanced Sommelier Keegan Corcoran. Call to RSVP. 6-9 p.m. $250. Jeff Ruby’s Carlo & Johnny, 9769 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, facebook.com/ jeffrubyscarloandjohnny.

Rhinegeist Ice Cream Social — UDF and Rhinegeist have teamed up to bring back their Tropical Truth ice cream: Rhinegeist Truth India Pale Ale with swirls of grapefruit and mango. Rhinegeist is hosting an ice cream social to celebrate the launch, where you can get the Truth ice cream in a float or sundae (there will also be vanilla for those who prefer something a little tamer). 3-7 p.m. Free admission. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/rhinegeist.

Dean’s Mediterranean Chef in Residence Pop-Up — Every Friday, Dean’s will be welcoming a guest chef in residence to the shop to create a special Middle Eastern menu. The goal is to celebrate local culinary talent and share stories. Dishes are available as a full plate or a la carte. 11 a.m. Free admission. Dean’s Mediterranean or the Findlay Market Biergarten, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook. com/deansmediterranean.

SATURDAY 17

Cherry Donut Pie Can Release — Platform Brewing Co. is releasing its new Cherry Donut Pie beer in cans. The gose is both sweet and tart, tasting of cherry and pie crust

CLW Women, Nonbinary & Transgender Happy Hour — Celebrate Cincinnati Leather Weekend with this happy hour to honor the women, nonbinary and transgender folx in the leather community. There will be free drinks from Jim Beam Black and light refreshments, plus a chance to meet Cincinnati Leather Weekend judges Shan Wow and Abizzy Leathergirl.

6:30-8 p.m. Free admission.

The Mini Microcinema, 1329 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/cinleather.

Erotic Poetry & Wine “Love on the Run Tour” Cincinnati Stop — Enjoy an evening of erotic elegance with some of Cincinnati’s most talented erotic spoken word poets and R&G/Neo Soul Singers.

Food is catered by Catrina Mills. 7:30-10 p.m. $25.

Socialtique, 4027 Hamilton Ave., Northside, facebook. com/girlfriendznetgroup.

Latte Art Class — Learn to make your own Instagramworthy latte art. Experienced baristas will teach you the basics of milk steaming and how to pour hearts, rosettas and tulips. Each spot can hold up to four people. 9:30 a.m.-noon $50 per spot. Carabello Coffee Company, 107 E. Ninth St., Newport, facebook.com/ carabellocoffee.

An Afternoon with the Beer Barons — Many of the “Founding Fathers” of Cincinnati’s brewery scene are buried in Spring Grove. You can go on an annual tour of their graves, with history provided by knowledgeable docents, and then sample some local beers while enjoying live music. 4-7 p.m. $30; $20 designated driver. Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, springgrove. org.

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C I T Y B E AT. C O M

Wine Fest Weekend 2019 — Hanover Winery is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a weekend of wine, food and live music. Food is provided by

Cincinnati Celtic Festival — Don your best kilt and pull out your bagpipes for the Cincinnati Celtic Festival.

Festivities include plenty of great food — such as shepherd’s pie, Scotch eggs, cod sandwiches and bangers and mash — plenty of beer and a whiskey tasting tent.

5-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; noon-9 p.m.

Sunday. Free admission.

The Banks, Downtown, cincycelticfest.com.

with a mild salinity. You can buy four-packs of the beer starting at 10 a.m. 10 a.m.-midnight. Free admission. LOCOBA by Platform, 1201 Main St., Over-theRhine, facebook.com/ locobaplatform.

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FRIDAY 16

J. Damon’s Woodfired Pizza, The Italian Truck, The Dawg House and Just Desserts.

Wine will be available by the glass or bottle. 5-10 p.m.

Friday; 1-10 p.m. Saturday. $5 admission. Hanover Winery, 2165 Morman Road, Hamilton, facebook.com/ hanover.winery.

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Summit Wine Dinner — Students from the Midwest Culinary Institute and professional chefs will prepare a gourmet menu paired with wines from Ian Pascoe with Vintage Wine Distributor.

6:30-9 p.m. $65. Summit Restaurant, 3520 Central Parkway, Clifton, facebook. com/thesummit.mci.

Most classes and events require registration and classes frequently sell out.

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MUSIC

Carriers of Love Cincinnati singer/songwriter Curt Kiser finally finds the right time to release his debut album as Carriers

BY B R I A N B A K ER

O

Curt Kiser of Carriers PHOTO: MICHAEL WILSON

Kiser is ecstatic about the overwhelmingly positive response he’s received for Now is the Time, but Van Etten’s review might be considered his mission statement for the project and his career going forward. It began when he contacted her to thank her for the recommendation in her liner notes.

“I wrote to her and I was like, ‘Thanks so much, that was so cool,’ and she was like, ‘I’m a fan. I hope my fans find comfort in your music, too,’ ” Kiser says. “That’s what matters. I want people to find comfort and peace and know that they’re not alone. The songs deal with brokenness and some stuff is direct but it might be more like, ‘What’s he talking about?’ That’s for the listener to decide, but it’s all very therapeutic for me.

Some songs are just to get me through that day, and some are like, ‘This one is going to be heard.’

“These songs help me and I hope they can help other people and carry them into a place of healing and safety.”

Carriers celebrates the release of Now is the Time for Loving Me, Yourself and Everyone Else on Aug. 23 at the Woodward Theater. Tickets/more info: woodwardtheater.com.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

themselves to unveil his recorded debut as a frontman; perhaps it’s no coincidence that the album’s lead track is “Patience.”

In May of 2018, locally-based Old Flame Records released a “cassingle” of “Peace of Mine” and “Daily Battle,” but because Kiser wanted a vinyl release, Old Flame’s Rob Mason passed on a full-length release.

After sending the album to dozens of labels, publicists and artists (including Sharon Van Etten, who liked the album so much, she included Carriers as “recommended listening” in the liner notes of her 2019 album, Remind Me Tomorrow, and contacted Kiser to have him resend her the album so she could listen to it on a return flight from Europe), he finally secured a release for the album through Michael Mehalick’s Good Eye Records, who had been contacted by Kiser’s booking agent.

“Michael hit me up one day and said, ‘I would be remiss if I passed on this,’ ” Kiser says. “The biggest thing was I wanted to trust the people I’m working with. John (Curley) gave me some really good advice.

He was like, ‘You can have the biggest labels and PR people but if they’re not excited, you’re going to be miserable. Find people that are excited.’ So Michael at Good Eye is excited.”

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soon, but we’ll track it, acoustic guitar and vocal, and I’ll ride my bike around on tour and listen to it and get used to it.’ We recorded 13 songs in a night.”

Kiser also met Devendorf at Whole Foods around the same time and, after establishing his fervent fandom, mentioned that he was making an album with Curley and asked if he’d be interested in drumming on a song. Devendorf wound up playing on the entire record.

“We’ve become really good friends,” Kiser says. “I got together with John first and got him feeling good about the bass parts, then I got together with Bryan at his place. Then we started working through the songs, wherever they were at that point. They had never worked together on anything, but they really appreciated each other’s music. It was special to see two Cincinnati legends come together to play my songs.”

Most of Now is the Time was done at Ultrasuede in Camp Washington, just before its forced closure, with Kiser, Curley and Devendorf, as well as Trent Becknell on keyboard/bass, Aaron Collins on B3 organ and Kiser’s longtime guitarist Cory Pavlinac. The album was ultimately finished at Marble Gardens, the downtown studio owned and operated by Kiser’s former Pomegranates bandmate Karns.

“There were synths and weird sounds that I knew Isaac would bring because I worked with him for years and I knew he would have the touch I wanted these songs to have,” Kiser says.

Kiser has been sitting on the release of Now is the Time for two years. He’s played out consistently in that time with a rotating collective that includes his current live band (Becknell on guitar while Pavlinac is on paternity leave with his new baby, keyboardist Ashley McGrath, drummer Alex McGrath and new bassist Sanjay Nelson), as well as his former Enlou bandmates Ben Rush and Drew Jacoby. Kiser even got together with Curley and Devendorf for a stunning set at the 2017 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony, when Carriers was nominated in the New Artist category.

Kiser has been waiting for the right circumstances and participants to reveal

A U G . 1 4 - 2 0 , 2 0 19

ver the past two years, Cincinnati’s Curt Kiser, formerly of Indie Pop faves Pomegranates and Enlou, has leaked so many singles and stray tracks from his current band project, Carriers, it seemed as though the first album would be released like Johnny Cash’s mythical Cadillac — one piece at a time.

But, finally, Kiser has experienced the planetary alignment necessary to release his debut album as Carriers, the extensively titled Now is the Time for Loving Me, Yourself and Everyone Else.

“I was on tour with Pomegranates somewhere in the middle of the country, and Isaac (Karns) put on this song by the Free Design called ‘Now is the Time for Love,’ ” Kiser says of the otherworldly inspiration for the title. “We were talking about how that would be a cool name for something, and I sat with it. I wasn’t praying, I was just talking to God about life and those words went through my head and I felt like He said, ‘Now is the time to love Me, yourself and everyone else.’ I wrote it down, and I was like, ‘If I ever make a record, I’m going to call it that.’

“That’s what this record is. It’s about knowing God’s love for us, and loving ourselves with that love, and then loving other people so they can know that they’re loved and can love other people with it.

It’s a cycle and I think it’s everything that Jesus was about.”

Kiser had a specific vision for the album from the start, which he’s manifested into reality seven years after conceiving the title and its philosophy and five years after adopting the Carriers name for his foray into solo songwriting and performing. In many ways, the album, which is being released on Aug. 23, exceeds Kiser’s imagined version of his debut full-length release.

One of the prominent features on Now is the Time is its renowned rhythm section of Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley, who also produced, and The National drummer Bryan Devendorf. Kiser’s first band, Enlou, recorded songs with Curley at his Ultrasuede studio, and he’d met Curley’s wife Michelle when they both worked at the Cincinnati Zoo. He later ran into Curley while working at Whole Foods, which led to a conversation about jamming together.

“I texted him a little bit later and said, ‘What if I wanted to make a record?’ and he was like, ‘Let’s do it. Come by the studio,’ ” Kiser says. “It was literally that same week.

John was like, ‘I’m going on tour pretty

39

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PUBLIC Signs with Island Records

BY M I K E B R EEN

Celebrating Ludlow Garage’s 50th Anniversary

BY M I K E B R EE N

Rock Goes Full Trump

Kid Rock appears to be angry that he didn’t get a role in the upcoming film adaptation of Cats.

On Twitter, the rocker seemed to suggest that superstar Taylor Swift is actually a Republican but is pretending to be a Democrat to get movie roles in the liberal film industry.

He also threw in some sexist comments about Swift trading sexual favors for film stardom. In the tweet, Rock said (and we know it’s actually him because he signed the tweet), “Taylor Swift wants to be a democrat because she wants to be in movies….period. And it looks like she will suck the door knob off Hollyweird to get there. Oldest move in the book.

Good luck girl.” Looks like hanging out with Donald Trump has really rubbed off on Rock — if this had been tweeted from the POTUS account, would anyone have even flinched? All that’s missing is a simple-minded nickname.

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Music Festival Milestone

San Francisco’s recent Outside Lands music festival — featuring headliners like Childish Gambino, Paul Simon and Twenty One Pilots — became the first major fest in the U.S. to legally sell marijuana on its premises. An area called “Grass Lands” was introduced at the festival last year, described annoyingly as a “curated cannabis experience,” but no weed products were for sale until this year’s fest. With more states legalizing marijuana for recreational use, it seems certain that Outside Lands is the first of many.

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Fans of Lil Nas X’s viral-turnedchart-topping sensation “Old Town Road” have been wreaking havoc on a certain street in Wellesley, Massachusetts near Boston. The Swellesley Report says the town’s real Old Town Road is currently unmarked after its street signs were stolen three times. The popularity of the sign shouldn’t have been a complete surprise — apparently other street signs with names of colleges like Harvard and Colgate, have also been stolen. And places with other Old Town Roads have had the same problem. A town in British Columbia just started making separate replica Old Town Road signs to sell for $25.

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Cincinnati AltPop trio PUBLIC’s hard work over the past several years (including constant touring and playing with artists like Walk the Moon, Twenty One Pilots and The Driver Era) has paid off. It was announced on Aug. 9 that the group has signed to Island Records.

“It was in a basement in high PUBLIC school that we PHOTO: PUBLICTHEBAND.COM sat and dreamed of not only one day being a Iggy and the Stooges, The Kinks, Captain signed band but being a part of the label Beefheart, Grand Funk Railroad, MC5, that housed our favorite artists — Island,” The Allman Brothers (who recorded a live PUBLIC said in a statement. “Words can’t album at the venue) and Alice Cooper, who describe how excited and humbled we are claimed that he wrote his iconic hit “Eighto now be a part of the Island family.” teen” backstage at the Garage after a show.

The band’s first material for Island was The space on Ludlow Avenue was released on Aug. 9. Described as a threereopened as a music venue in 2015. Now track “bundle,” the release features three under new management, it is currently versions (including a new acoustic take) of undergoing renovation and is slated to PUBLIC’s popular single “Make You Mine.” reopen at the end of August. Dweezil The song previously went viral thanks Zappa is scheduled to perform at the new to the app TikTok, where, in just three Ludlow Garage (performing his father’s months, over 1 million videos featuring Hot Rats album and more) on Sept. 19, the “Make You Mine” were made. TikTok has official 50th anniversary of the venue. Visit become a leading tastemaker of late — it’s ludlowgaragecincinnati.com for more on how “Old Town Road,” which recently the Garage’s 2019 incarnation. broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 on On Saturday, Aug. 17, several local the Billboard singles chart, first came into acts will join together for a free concert the public’s consciousness. at Seasongood Pavilion in Eden Park to “Make You Mine” saw a major spike in celebrate the Ludlow Garage legacy. Cinstreams after it became a TikTok sensation cinnati music heroes Rob Fetters, Sonny — according to a press release, it has been Moorman, Sandy Nassan, The Bluebirds, averaging 1 million streams a week and is Jeffrey Seeman, Haymarket Riot, Robin up to 25 million streams overall.

Lacy & DeZydeco and The Warsaw For more info, visit publictheband.com.

Falcons will be joined by two nationally acclaimed artists who played the Garage during its heyday. Headlining the concert are Tracy Nelson — who performed at the club when she fronted the Blues Rock band Mother Earth — and Rick Derringer, who This week the media is abuzz with tributes played with Johnny Winter at the venue to the Woodstock music festival to mark and whose Ohio ties run deep. Derringer its 50th anniversary. Cincinnati has its got his start in Southwest Ohio with The own countercultural live music institution McCoys — who had a huge hit with “Hang celebrating its 50 anniversary this year and, On Sloopy” (co-opted by Ohio State Uniunlike Woodstock, there will be a concert versity as a rally song) before going on to in its honor. work with Steely Dan, “Weird Al” Yankovic In September 1969, future Cincinnati and many others. Derringer also had a Top restaurateur and politician Jim Tarbell 40 hit in 1973 with his classic “Rock and opened the Ludlow Garage in Clifton, just Roll, Hoochie Koo.” weeks after Woodstock — the club reportSaturday’s tribute show is free and runs edly even had parts of the Woodstock from noon until 9 p.m. Find more info at sound system for its PA. Though short-lived facebook.com/haymarketriot50. (it closed in early 1971), the Ludlow Garage Contact Mike Breen: hosted a who’s who of Rock & Roll titans mbreen@citybeat.com from that crucial era, including Santana,

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Iron Maiden with The Raven Age

Thursday • Riverbend Music Center

Iron Maiden is viewed by many as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s most egregious snubs, given the band’s crucial role in shaping and popularizing Heavy Metal music worldwide.

Pioneers of the New Wave of the British Heavy Metal movement, Maiden’s journey to becoming one of the most influential groups in Metal history began in East London in 1975. The group rose in the U.K. music scene and nabbed a record deal with EMI, but the band’s legacy was cemented when singer Paul Di’Anno was kicked out of the band in the early ’80s and replaced with Bruce Dickinson. His first album with Iron Maiden, The Number of the Beast, was a global sensation and is considered one of the great Rock albums of all time. The band would continue to expand upon its blueprint of progressive song structures, epic lyrics and sky-high operatic vocals on subsequent albums until Dickinson left Maiden in 1993. His break from the group (which recorded a pair of albums with a different vocalist) didn’t last long and he was back before the end of the decade to guide the group into the new millennium.

The band has released five studio albums since then (as well as a handful of EPs and live albums) and remained one of Metal’s biggest touring attractions.

Earlier this year during a spoken word tour in Australia, Dickinson had some choice words for the Rock Hall. Dickinson said, “Absolutely,” when he was asked if he thought his band should be in the Hall, then added that he feels the whole institution is “an utter and complete load of bollocks.”

“It’s run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn’t know Rock & Roll if it hit them in the face,” he

Madison Violet PHOTO: PROVIDED

continued. “They need to stop taking Prozac and start drinking fucking beer.”

Maiden’s forthcoming North American tour, part of a global jaunt dubbed the “Legacy of the Beast World Tour,” will feature production and a setlist inspired by the band’s Legacy of the Beast mobile video game. The game allows users to take Eddie, the group’s longtime monster mascot, to different game-level realms.

In a press release, Dickinson said the tour will feature the band’s “most spectacular and certainly the most complex show to date.”

“We’ve got all kinds of crazy things going on,” the singer said, “including a replica Spitfire plane dominating the stage during ‘Aces High,’ tons of pyro, a giant Icarus, muskets, claymores and some truly marvelous flame-throwers which I have a hell of a lot of fun with, as you will see. And of course we have Eddie, as you’ve never seen him before.” (Mike Breen)

Madison Violet

Thursday • Southgate House Revival Maybe it’s their direct connection to their English roots, but Canadians seem to have a flawless ability to translate and reinvent

MUSIC EDITOR MIKE BREEN KNOWS MUSIC. from their musical souls for the past 20 years, but it just goes to show: If it ain’t broke, fiddle with it. (Brian Baker)

Hieroglyphics

Tuesday • The Mockbee

Hieroglyphics PHOTO: PROVIDED

BE LIKE BREEN.

READ CITYBEAT.COM/MUSIC EVERYDAY.

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| C I T Y B E AT. C O M

the Folk form. And Madison Violet certainly follows the timeless traditions of the likes of Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and the McGarrigle sisters.

Lisa MacIsaac, the sister of renowned Canadian fiddler Ashley MacIsaac, and Brenley MacEachern met in the late ’90s while MacEachern was a member of Zoebliss; the pair became a romantic couple before MacIsaac joined the band just prior to its 1999 dissolution. After the demise of Zoebliss, multi-instrumentalists MacIsaac and MacEachern forged ahead as a duo, initially dubbed Madviolet, and recorded three albums before changing their name to Madison Violet for their fourth album, 2009’s No Fool for Trying, their debut album for respected Canadian indie label True North Records.

By the time MacIsaac and MacEachern had signed with True North, they had already earned four East Coast Music Award nominations and another from the Canadian Folk Music Awards for Best Vocal Group. After the release of No Fool for Trying, Madison Violet scored a Juno Award nomination for Best Roots/ Traditional Album. No Fool for Trying also spawned “The Ransom,” which won Song of the Year in the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

Madison Violet wrapped up their True North contract with the 2013 live album, Come As You Are, and then signed with Ultra Records for 2016’s The Year of the Horse, which found them incorporating more Electronic and Pop elements, particularly synthesizers, into their sound, while retaining the distinctly personal songwriting style that has earned them a devoted fan base. After 2017’s The Knight Sessions, Madison Violet largely returned to their earlier Folk/Roots direction with their latest album, Everything’s Shifting, from the atmospheric lope of “Nobody” to the energetic jump of “Second Hand Fiction” to the stripped down and emotionally powerful “Heart Worth Fixing.”

It’s astonishing to think that Madison Violet has been mining great material

Based in Oakland, California, the Hip Hop collective Hieroglyphics bubbled up from the underground in the ’90s, considered by many the “golden age” of the genre. After its members like Del the Funkee Homosapien, Casual and the Souls of Mischief signed major record deals, they released albums that didn’t necessarily notch blockbuster sales numbers but were critically acclaimed, which helped the Hieroglyphics’ sound infiltrate the consciousness of Hip Hop fans looking for something different than the mainstream had to offer. Known for jazzy, esoteric soundscapes, sharp and creative rhyming and lyrical skills, a well-curated ’90s Hip Hop playlist on your favorite streaming service is bound to feature a Hieroglyphics-affiliated track or two.

Though impactful, the lack of commercial success pushed the MCs, DJs and producers back together and they found strength in numbers. After dealing with labels trying to turn them into something they weren’t in order to maximize profits, the Hieroglyphics members became turned off by the often anti-art maneuvers of the music industry. They took matters into their own hands and formed the Hieroglyphics Imperium label to release their own work. In 1998, the label dropped the milestone posse album 3rd Eye Vision, on which each member of the collective was given space to shine their brightest. In 2015, Fact magazine put the LP at No. 34 on its list of the 100 best indie Hip Hop albums of all time. The group’s current tour — featuring crew members Del, Casual, Pep Love, Domino and Souls of Mischief’s Phesto, A-Plus, Opio and Tajai — is an extension of their 20th-anniversary celebration of the landmark album, which stands as a testament to DIY diligence.

“This was a very important album for us because it was a ‘get back up’ project after our setback with major labels,” producer/ DJ Domino wrote in an Instagram post on the album’s 20th birthday last year. “As it turned out, getting dropped…was the best thing that could have happened.

This taught us to be resilient and also about controlling the destiny of our art by ownership. It also was a lesson of banding together for a common goal, this album, which at that point, was the test of whether we were going to be a minor footnote in Hip Hop or something that was lasting.”

(MB)

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LISTINGS

CityBeat’s music listings are free. Send info to Mike Breen at mbreen@citybeat.com. Listings are subject to change.

See CityBeat.com for full music listings and all club locations. H is CityBeat staff’s stamp of approval.

WEDNESDAY 14

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Nick Fryer Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Blue Wisp Big Band. 8 p.m. Big Band Jazz. $10.

KNOTTY PINE - Mitch Greve. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Tom Roll.

8 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Jim Connerley Trio. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Dallas Moore. 10 p.m. Country.

Free.

LYDIA’S ON LUDLOW - The Minor Ninth. 6 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

MOTR PUB - Dead Rider. 10 p.m. Indie Rock. Free.

H

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - The Acacia Strain with Kublai Khan, Judiciary and Chamber. 7 p.m. Metalcore. $18, $20 day of show.

H

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Larry Keel. 7 p.m. Bluegrass. $15, $20 day of show.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Adam Flaig and The Jellyfish. 9:30 p.m. Rock. Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Byrd Law Jazz Quartet. 9 p.m.

Jazz Fusion. Cover.

WASHINGTON PARK Reggae Wednesdays with Anthem Band. 7 p.m. Reggae. Free.

YORK STREET CAFÉ Jeremy Clyde of Chad & Jeremy. 8 p.m. Pop/Rock. $22, $25 day of show.

THURSDAY 15

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Philip Paul Trio.

7:30 p.m. Jazz. Free.

BLIND LEMON - Billy Otten.

8 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

COMMON ROOTS - Open Mic. 8 p.m. Various. Free.

H

THE GREENWICH - On a Limb. 8:30 p.m. Jazz

MOERLEIN LAGER HOUSE - Rockin’ the Roebling with DV8. 6 p.m. Rock.

Free (at Schmidlapp Event Lawn).

MOTR PUB - Gully Boys with Gender Confetti. 10 p.m.

Indie Pop. Free.

NEWPORT ON THE LEVEE - Summer Music on the Levee with Endless Summer Band. 7 p.m. Rock/ Pop. Free.

H

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Chuckie Campbell with Trademark Aaron and Devin Burgess. 9 p.m. Hip Hop. Free.

H

RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER - Iron Maiden with The Raven Age. 7:30 p.m. Metal. $35-$99.50

H

SEASONGOOD PAVILION - It’s Commonly Jazz with Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. 6 p.m. Jazz. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) - Hillbilly Casino. 8 p.m. Rockabilly/Honky Tonk. Free.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Madison Violet. 8 p.m. Americana. $12, $15 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Extansion and Tub. 10 p.m. Jam/ Funk. Cover.

THOMPSON HOUSE Justin Duenne, My Brother’s Keeper and Darity. 7 p.m.

Rock. Cover.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Dukes and the Package with Stratoscope. 9 p.m. Alt/Pop/Rock.

VALLEY VINEYARDS - Lyn Payne Holland & Merry Herbert Duo. 6 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

Australian AltRock band Castlecomer plays Saturday at Covington’s Madison Live.

PHOTO: ANNA WEBBER

H

Spear Shakers. 9 p.m.

Blues/Rock. $10.

H

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Ricky Nye, Inc. 9 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free.

FRIDAY 16

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - The Good Hooks Band. 9:30 p.m. Rock/ Dance/Various. Cover.

WASHINGTON PARK - Roots Revival with Honey & Houston. 7 p.m.

Roots/Country/Various. Free.

WOODWARD THEATER - Robbie Fulks with Maria Carrelli. 8 p.m.

Roots. $15, $18 day of show.

BB&T ARENA - Toby Keith. 7:30 p.m. Country. $29.50-$109.

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Arnold Culbreath Trio. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

H

THE COMET - Phoul Phill Andt Guill with Mr. Clit and the Pink Cigarettes and Slugsalt. 8 p.m. Rock/ Various. Free.

FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY - Over The Top Festival with The Fritz. 6 p.m.

Rock/Various. Free.

THE GREENWICH - The

JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Deuces Wild. 9 p.m.

Country. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Joey Said No. 10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN Colors in Mind, Northbound and Starless. 10 p.m. Rock.

Free.

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - Vatican with Typecaste, Life’s Question, Transgression, Overstep and Bather.

8 p.m. Metal. $10, $15 day of show.

PLAIN FOLK CAFE - Russell Up Some Grub String Band. 7:30 p.m. Bluegrass.

Free.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Soul Pushers. 9 p.m. Blues.

Cover.

PNC PAVILION AT RIVERBEND - Skillet and Sevendust with Pop Evil and Devour The Day. 6:45 p.m.

Hard Rock. $23.50-$42.50.

MOTR PUB - Dehd with CJ Run and Dinge. 10 p.m.

Indie Rock. Free.

RADISSON CINCINNATI RIVERFRONT - Basic Truth.

8 p.m. Funk/R&B/Soul. Free.

MT. HEALTHY CITY PARK - New Brew. 7:30 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

THE REDMOOR - Soul Pocket. 9 p.m. R&B. $10.

RICK’S TAVERN - HiFi

Honey. 9:30 p.m. Pop/Country/Rock/Dance. $5.

H

RIVERSEDGE - Whimmydiddle Country Music Festival with Del McCoury Band, Billy Strings, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers and Arlo McKinley & The Lonesome Sound. 5:30 p.m.

Americana/Country/Bluesgrass/Various. $25-$40.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (LOUNGE) Honey Combs and Combo Slice, MayaLou And A Uke and Anna Applegate. 9:30 p.m. Acoustic/Pop/Roots/ Various. Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - James Carothers.

9 p.m. Country. $10, $12 day of show.

H

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) - John Paul White. 8

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

FOUNTAIN SQUARE - Salsa on the Square with La Formula with Atrevidos. 7 p.m. Latin/Salsa/ Dance. Free.

THE MAD FROG Chops N’ Chops featuring Sythyst. 9 p.m. DJ/ EDM. $5.

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CAFFÈ VIVACE - Mandy Gaines Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz.

Cover.

LYDIA’S ON LUDLOW Open Mic. 6 p.m. Various.

Free.

45

Festival with Shooter Jennings, JD McPherson, The Steel Woods, Brandon Taz Niederauer and Jaime Wyatt.

4:30 p.m. Country/Americana/Various. $25-$40.

SCHWARTZ’S POINT Mandy Gaines Trio. 8:30 p.m.

Jazz. Cover.

SILVERTON CAFE - Basic Truth. 9 p.m. R&B/Funk/Soul.

Free.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - Cincinnati Noir. 10 p.m. Dance/DJ/Alt/Various. $5.

SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (SANCTUARY) Mike Zito, Johnny Fink and the Intrusion and In Layman Terms. 7 p.m. Blues/Rock. $20, $25 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Unofficial: Shane Smith & Michael Chandler. 10 p.m. Country.

Cover.

THOMPSON HOUSE Alone I Walk, Campus Rex, Matt Mantis and Far From Fiction. 9 p.m. Emo/Pop/ Rock. Cover.

SUNDAY 18

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Rob Allgeyer. 10:30 a.m. Jazz. Free.

Shooter Jennings headlines the Whimmydiddle Country Music Festival in Hamilton this Saturday.

P H O T O : J I M M Y F O N TA I N E

p.m. Folk/Roots. $20, $25 day of show.

Jazz Band. 8 p.m. Jazz.

Free.

STANLEY’S PUB - Suede Jackets. 10 p.m. Rock.

Cover.

BLIND LEMON - Warren Ulgh. 9 p.m. Acoustic. Free.

C I T Y B E AT. C O M

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A U G . 1 4 - 2 0 , 2 0 19

THOMPSON HOUSE Kelby, Adam Sightler, Breanna Renee and The Holy Trinity. 8 p.m. Hip Hop/ Alt. Cover.

46

TOP CATS - Tyler Jarvis, Matt Waters and Zack Lemons. 9 p.m. Singer/ Songwriter. $8.

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URBAN ARTIFACT Aziza Love with After Ours and AC the Entity. 9 p.m. Hip Hop/Jazz/Various. $5.

BLUE NOTE HARRISON Moonshine Bandits. 7 p.m.

Country Rap. $17, $20 day of show.

H

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Kathy Wade with Dan Karlsberg Trio. 8:30 p.m. Jazz.

Cover.

H

THE COMET - Fycus, SPISH and Brooklyn Rae. 10 p.m. Indie/Rock/ Various. Free.

H

WASHINGTON PARK - Friday Flow with Lil G from Silk. 7 p.m. R&B. Free.

FRETBOARD BREWING COMPANY - Over the Top Fest with Subterranean, The Spookfloaters and Kung Fu. 6 p.m. Rock/ Various. Free.

SATURDAY 17

H

H

ARNOLD’S BAR AND GRILL - Modern Groove

THE GREENWICH Mike Wade’s Nasty Nati Brass Band. 9 p.m. Brass/

Jazz/Various. $10.

HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - Dixie Karas Quartet. 9 p.m. Jazz. Free.

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MOTR PUB - AP Counterfeit (album release show) with Sons of Silverton.

10 p.m. Hip Hop. Free.

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD - 3 Piece Revival.

9:30 p.m. Rock. Cover.

NORTHSIDE TAVERN Ampfibians with They Never Came Back. 9 p.m. Surf Rock. Free.

JIM AND JACK’S ON THE RIVER - Project Doyle. 9 p.m. Rock/Pop. Free.

PADRINO - Chris Comer Trio. 8 p.m. Jazz. Free.

KNOTTY PINE - Final Order.

10 p.m. Rock. Cover.

LYDIA’S ON LUDLOW Paul Lake. 7 p.m. Acoustic.

Free.

THE MAD FROG - Wooli. 9 p.m. Bass. $25.

H

MADISON LIVE Castlecomer. 9 p.m.

AltRock. $10, $12 day of show.

MANSION HILL TAVERN Swamp Bees. 9 p.m. Blues.

Cover.

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PNC PAVILION AT RIVERBEND - Joey Bada$$ and Flatbush Zombies with The Underachievers, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution, Powers Pleasant and CJ Fly. 7 p.m. Hip Hop. $23.50-$56.

RICK’S TAVERN - Top This Band. 10 p.m. R&B/Dance/ Various. Cover.

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RIVERSEDGE - Whimmydiddle Country Music

LATITUDES BAR & BISTRO - BlueBirds. 8 p.m.

Rock/R&B. Free.

LYDIA’S ON LUDLOW Ron Enyard Jazz Quartet. 11 a.m. Jazz. Free.

H

MOTR PUB - Vibe One with A.C. the Entity and MC Till. 8 p.m. Hip Hop. Free.

H

NORTHSIDE TAVERN - Lo, the Loyal Conscripts, Of Two Minds and In the Pines. 8 p.m. Indie Rock.

Free.

H

NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB - The Last Ten Seconds of Life with No Zodiac, Kaonashi and VCTMS. 7 p.m. Metal. $15, $18 day of show.

H

RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER - KoRn and Alice In Chains with

Underoath and FEVER 333. 6 p.m. Hard Rock. $29.50-$125.

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SOUTHGATE HOUSE REVIVAL (REVIVAL ROOM) - JD Simo with The Exit Strategy. 8 p.m. Psych/ Blues/Rock. $15, $18 day of show.

TOP CATS - The Hip Abduction. 9 p.m. World/Pop. $10.

URBAN ARTIFACT - Jeb Bush Orchestra and Spherical Agenda. 8:30 p.m. Jazz/ Funk/Fusion. Free.

WIEDEMANN BREWERY AND TAPROOM - Ricky Nye. 7 p.m. Blues/Boogie Woogie. Free.

MONDAY 19

H

MEMORIAL HALL Jazz at the Memo presents Stevie Wonder Reimagined with the Phil DeGreg Trio and Brad Myers.

7 p.m. Jazz. $8.

MOTR PUB - Street Limes.

9 p.m. Rock. Free.

H

TAFT THEATRE Melissa Etheridge. 7:30 p.m. Rock. $29.50-$58.50.

THOMPSON HOUSE - Old Fox, ForestFox and Sovereign Being. 8 p.m. Alternative. Cover.

TUESDAY 20

CAFFÈ VIVACE - Mandy Gaines and Brad Myers.

7:30 p.m. Jazz HILTON NETHERLAND PALM COURT - George Cunningham Trio. 6 p.m.

Jazz. Free.

H

THE MOCKBEE Hieroglyphics 3rd Eye Vision 20th Anniversary Tour. featuring Souls of Mischief, Del the Funky Homosapean, Casual, Pep Love and Domino. 10 p.m. Hip Hop. $25, $30 day of show.

STANLEY’S PUB - Trashgrass Troubadours with The Goldberrys. 8 p.m. Bluegrass. Cover.

THOMPSON HOUSE - Joint Operation, The Reckoneers, Mr. Scientist and Jamwave.

7 p.m. Rock/Funk. Cover.

SEE CITYBEAT.COM FOR FULL MUSIC LISTINGS AND ALL CLUB LOCATIONS.

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