CityBeat | Dec. 8-21, 2021

THINGS TO DO IN

CINCINNATI THIS DECEMBER

THE WINTER GUIDE

RICK SPRINGFIELD

DECEMBER 29

THE ANDREW J BRADY

ICON MUSIC CENTER

CINCINNATI, OH ICONMUSICCENTER.COM

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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VOL. 26 | ISSUE 35 ON THE COVER: THE WINTER GUIDE // DESIGN: TALON HAMPTON

PUBLISHER TONY FRANK EDITOR IN CHIEF MAIJA ZUMMO

THINGS TO DO IN

MANAGING EDITOR ALLISON BABKA

CINCINNATI

DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR MAGGY MCDONEL

THIS DECEMBER

THE WINTER GUIDE

RICK SPRINGFIELD

ART DIRECTOR TALON HAMPTON CONTRIBUTING EDITORS MUSIC: MIKE BREEN ARTS & CULTURE: MACKENZIE MANLEY THEATER: RICK PENDER FILM: TT STERN-ENZI DINING CRITIC: PAMA MITCHELL

DECEMBER 29

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06 THE WINTER GUIDE 25 ARTS & CULTURE 33 FOOD & DRINK 37 MUSIC 43 CROSSWORD

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MEMI CONCERT CALENDAR December 9 December 10

Tommy Emmanuel with Andy McKee Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives LeAnn Rimes - Home For The Holidays Morgan James Brent Smith & Zach Myers (of Shinedown) with J.R. Moore and Zack Mack Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Straight No Chaser Rick Springfield with Stranger Sal Vulcano & Chris Distefano Clutch with Stoner and Native Howl

Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center

The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center

January 15 January 20 January 26 January 27 January 28 January 29

Dillon Francis x Yung Gravy with KITTENS Nate Bargatze (7PM & 9:30PM) Falling In Reverse with Wage War, Hawthorne Heights, and Jeris Johnson Oliver Wood (of The Wood Brothers) The Ghost of Paul Revere with Early James Lucky Chops Dancing with The Stars: Live!

Alice Cooper Erasure with Bag Raiders

February 9 February 10 February 12 February 12 February 16 February 19 February 26

Sleigh Bells Whitney Cummings The Regrettes Foxy Shazam Dream Theater with Arch Echo Beth Hart with Quinn Sullivan Letterkenny Live!

The Ballroom at Taft Theatre Taft Theatre The Ballroom at Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center Taft Theatre Taft Theatre

December 11 December 15 December 17 December 18 December 21 December 23 December 29 December 31 December 31

January 8 January 14 January 15

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PNCPAVILION.COM

MEMI.BIZ

The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center Taft Theatre The Ballroom at Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center Taft Theatre Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center

The Ballroom at Taft Theatre The Ballroom at Taft Theatre The Ballroom at Taft Theatre Taft Theatre The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center

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GET TICKETS AT TICKETMASTER.COM DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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THINGS TO DO IN

CINCINNATI THIS DECEMBER

THE WINTER GUIDE 6

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t's time for CityBeat’s annual Winter Guide, offering up all things quaint and cozy to do this December in Greater Cincinnati. From Ebenezer Scrooge’s return on the Playhouse mainstage and a dozen drive-thru light displays to heated igloos and a giant collection of glowing vintage blow molds, there’s enough holiday cheer in the following pages to warm even the coldest Grinch heart.

‘The Crazy Light Guy’ Jason Dunham stirs up holiday magic with hundreds of vintage blow molds in Clermont County

BY ALLISON BABKA

Jason Dunham will place these vintage blow molds and dozens more on his lawn.

P H OTO : A L L I S O N BA B K A

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here’s a special tradition in Cincinnati as the winter holidays approach. But you won’t find this one downtown, at the Cincinnati Zoo or Kings Island.

It happens right in Jason Dunham’s front yard, just after Thanksgiving.

First, it’s two 4-foot red candles with blazing yellow flames.

Next, a tan grinning gingerbread man.

Then, Santa’s round face, his cheeks frozen with laughter.

Dunham gently carries these and other holiday surprises from behind his house in Stonelick Township in Clermont County to his driveway, where he evaluates their condition and begins organizing them per his master plan.

After all, he’s got one of the area’s largest collections of vintage blow molds to prepare for his homegrown annual holiday light display, and his drive-by visitors are eager for a peek.

“I don’t do it for anything but the

satisfaction of seeing a smile on everybody’s faces,” Dunham says. “I am the ‘crazy light guy.’”

A Retro Renewal Dunham himself will tell you that he doesn’t necessarily look like the star of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.

But with his long, wiry beard and head full of gentle curls, he could easily pass as Santa’s cooler, younger cousin. Say “Christmas,” and Dunham’s eyes will sparkle, just like St. Nick’s.

For several years now, Dunham has been transforming his acre-plus lawn into a holiday wonderland with retro blow molds — those plastic characters that emit a soft glow due to the incandescent bulbs inside them. He artfully arranges mini scenes throughout the yard, like gingerbread men dancing around a cookie house and or penguins and polar bears playing near an igloo.

There are also homemade

decorations, creations from local crafters and more lights than most people would care to count. Candy canes that Dunham and his father built decades ago line a path from the driveway to the house, and his family’s handmade star hangs from a tree with lights.

Inside the house, it’s just as festive, though the drive-by folks typically don’t get to see that. Each year, Dunham displays an extensive Christmas village scene and puts up several Christmas trees.

Grinchy adults might say this is the house where Christmas threw up. But those who have kept their holiday wonder see something else — an opportunity to feel that Christmas enchantment again, put forth by someone entirely dedicated to giving people joy.

“I want them to just enjoy life, you know?” Dunham says. “Especially the past couple of years. If I can bring a little joy to people’s life with all the craziness going on, I’m happy.”

Dunham comes by his Christmas spirit naturally, inspired by the family traditions that took place as he grew up in Milford. His mother decorated inside their home with Santa Clauses on the mantle and a train under the tree. His father hung the lights, built his own creations and displayed several blow molds. As a kid, Dunham eagerly looked forward to helping his parents put it all together.

“I definitely came from a family that did great for Christmas. I just took it an extra 10 steps,” Dunham says.

That didn’t change even as Dunham became older and moved out of his childhood home, insisting on pulling out the lights and decorations despite his parents’ waning interest.

His parents were the catalysts for his blow mold obsession, he says. As they began downsizing their belongings, he scooped up their big candles, Santa and other molds, determined to showcase them at his own house.

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“They always like coming out to see everything. A few aunts and uncles always make a special trip out, too,” he says. “As a little kid, we used to drive around. My parents would take us driving through neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights, and I always enjoyed doing that. Then I wanted to be one of those houses that everybody went and looked at.”

Over the years, Dunham has added to his collection. A reindeer here. An elf there. He’s scooped up finds on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and eBay. He’s become a regular at local vintage and estate sales. Friends have began unloading their unwanted items on him.

“If there’s one I don’t have, I definitely try to get those, because it’s just fun to see how many different ones there are out there,” Dunham says of the molds.

Before Dunham knew it, he’d amassed dozens of the coveted lawn decorations. And he’s proudly displayed them all, year after year.

But that wasn’t enough.

He knew that Christmas could become even bigger.

The Mother Lode In 2020, Dunham learned of an estate sale that featured dozens of vintage blow molds. It was as if his own plastic angels began singing “Hallelujah.”

“When I went to that estate sale last year, it was in two barns, and it was just packed from floor to ceiling, front to back, with stuff,” Dunham says.

He took it all. Every single one.

In a feat of dedication, Dunham made five trips to transport his blow mold haul back to his home via a pickup truck.

“I just kind of wedged them in there, said a little prayer, and off we went,” Dunham remembers. “The looks I got driving down the highway with a truck bed full of every shape and size and character staring at people…”

Dunham says that the people in charge of that estate sale — friends of the deceased — later came out to see his holiday display.

“She (the deceased) was so in love with them and now they’re being displayed by another person who loved them as much as she did, and they’re all being displayed for everybody to see,” Dunham says. “It definitely meant a lot for them to come over, and you could tell it meant a lot for them to see their friend’s stuff displayed out with love.”

Because many of the blow molds Dunham acquires are from the 1960s, they often come with issues — chipped paint, blown lights or layers of grime.

That doesn’t stop him, though. He just buys duplicates to fix, swap or sell.

“Even if one gets a crack in it, I’ll

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notice it and kind of mend it. Some of them get paint wear on them and start to fade,” Dunham says. “Sometimes I’ll even buy broken ones just to use them for the parts for (other) broken ones, because some need the actual light fixtures replaced.”

“No blow mold goes unused around me.”

Magic for Multiple Holidays Dunham leads CityBeat through his yard to the back of the house, where every available space is piled high with blow molds that will be added to the display. Here, molds from multiple holidays mix before landing in their final slots on the display map in Dunham’s head. Christmas Mickey Mouse leans against a vampire. An Easter lamb gets cozy with several reindeer.

Dunham now has hundreds of blow molds, estimating that he has about 150 for Christmas, 91 for Halloween, 30 for Easter, a handful for Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving, and even a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day. He also has several pop culture molds, like the Three Stooges, a giant Big Boy, a large Ronald McDonald bust and what has to be a rare mold of ‘50s animated magpie Heckle (or possibly his identical pal Jeckle).

“It is overwhelming when you just kind of walk back and look at it all,” Dunham says as he pulls more characters for the front yard. “I’d love to find, like, an old building or something to turn into a museum of old stuff like this, but there’s a point where funds kind of prohibit some of the wants and dreams, you know?”

Dunham plans to keep his Christmas display up through early in the new year, depending on the weather. He wants to prolong the holiday magic for as long as he can and help visitors remember what brought them joy in their early years.

“What better memories than of being a child? I’m just a big kid with more expensive toys than I used to (have),” Dunham says.

Jason Dunham holds one of his 150 Christmas blow molds behind his house.

P H OTO : A L L I S O N BA B K A

Find Jason Dunham’s holiday display on Aulen Road in Stonelick Township near Owensville.

Dunham’s Display by the Numbers • 150 blow molds • 1,575-1,675 lights, not including the lights in the trees • Average $400 electricity bill

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

Lighted blow molds of Mickey Mouse and the gang were featured in Jason Dunham’s 2020 holiday display.

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J A S O N D U N H A M

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021 | CITYBEAT.COM 9 NOVEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 23, 2021 | CITYBEAT.COM 23

Three Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks

BY MAIJA ZUMMO

The rink at Fifty West Brewing Company P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY F I F T Y W E S T

Ice skating has been a quintessential winter activity since humans figured out that gliding over frozen water was both an effective means of getting around and also fun. According to some light Googling, ice skating seems to have originated in Finland about 4,000 years ago (they have a lot of ice) and began to resemble its current metalblades-on-boots iteration somewhere in the Netherlands in the 1300s.

Ice skating back then actually looked much the same as it does today, and this wholesome, family-friendly activity can be found at a handful of pop-up seasonal ice rinks around the city.

Here are three that offer a place to glide, as well as skate rental and hot and/or boozy beverages.

Fifty West Brewing Company Fifty West Brewing Company has added a quaint winter attraction to its list of ever-growing things to do at its Production Works brewery: an ice rink. It launched the idea last year and, because it was so successful, has brought it back again.

The family-friendly rink is

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80-feet-by-40-feet, and tickets ($10) include skate rental and one hour on the ice. Only a small number of people are allowed on the rink at one time, so Fifty West is using a timed reservation system at fiftywestbrew.com, with select in-person purchase options if crowds are light. Kids ages 4 and under can skate for free.

“We want Fifty West to be a place you can come and make memories throughout the holiday season,” says Fifty West founder Bobby Slattery in a release. “We pride ourselves on providing a fun community hub to families and this rink helps our space bridge the gap between fall and spring.”

In addition to the ice skating rink, Fifty West has gone full "winter wonderland," per the release, with large, heated tents; small fire pits; a holiday light display; and hot chocolate and cider (with the option to add alcohol to either).

The brewery also has asked Santa to visit for photo ops, with two remaining dates 4-6 p.m. Dec. 11 and Dec.19.

Tickets to see the man in red include a digital and physical holiday photo and free kiddie hot chocolate.

Of course, Santa has something to say about his appearance. “Bobby and Fifty

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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Fifty West has ice skating aids P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY F I F T Y W E S T B R E W I N G C O M PA N Y

West asked me to stop by and I couldn’t miss the chance to try the burgers I’ve heard so much about,” he says, according to the brewery.

Fifty West Production Works, 7605 Wooster Pike, Columbia Township, fiftywestbrew.com.

Fountain Square Fountain Square's ice rink has returned this year and is open through Feb. 22.

In addition to skate rental, Fountain Square has brought back 2020’s superpopular bumper cars, which will share the rink with traditional ice skating.

Patrons can choose from two types of sessions — either a split rink, where one half is devoted to ice skating while the other half is taken up by bumper cars, or skating only.

Book a preferred time online ($15 for the split session and $10 for ice skating only). Bumper car riders can use the cars as many times as they want during their 90-minute session (a line will form to get on the ride).

If you opt for a split-rink session, you can go between the cars and skating, but you cannot wear ice skates in the vehicle; all bumper car riders must wear flat, closed-toe shoes.

Concessions will be available and

a rink-side warming tent will feature snacks and drinks, including boozy beverages. Masks are required inside the tent when not eating or drinking.

Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

Summit Park Housed underneath the colorful glass canopy at Summit Park, the Warm 98.5 Ice Rink offers two- and threehour skate sessions for $7 (skate rental included). Nanny Belle's will be serving up snacks, drinks and hot cocoa. And skate aids (those contraptions that look like a street blockade) will be available to use for free.

"It is such a fun winter tradition, and a great activity for families, friends, or date nights,” says Margaret O’Gorman, general manager of programs and events in the Blue Ash Parks and Recreation Department.

While last year skaters had to make reservations due to COVID restrictions, this year is first-come, first-served.

The rink is open through Jan. 3 and closed for holidays on Dec. 24, 25 and 31, and Jan. 1.

Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash, summitparkblueash. com.

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Seven Igloos for Cozy Comforts

BY ALLISON BABKA

Braxton Brewing Co. has placed igloos on its rooftop P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B R A X T O N B R E W I N G C O .

We’re in full cozy-core season now, and nothing beats feeling the air’s soft chill while being 100% enveloped with warmth. Greater Cincinnati restaurants and bars are fully committing to that idea with “igloos.” After gaining popularity in 2020, these translucent, frequently heated biomes are here to stay, providing the perfect place to vibe and chill with a drink in hand.

Braxton Brewing Co. Braxton Brewing Co. opened its much-anticipated rooftop patio and

bar in 2019, but the space has now been covered to keep the chilly weather out.

The 5,000-square-foot deck features plenty of seating, a full bar and some pretty neat views of Covington and downtown Cincinnati. Braxton is also offering 2-hour reservations of heated “igloobars” for private parties of up to 8 for $30. Each features its own style with unique tables, chairs, couches and pillows. 27 W. Seventh St., Covington, braxtonbrewing.com.

Catch-a-Fire Pizza This Blue Ash pizza joint debuted

outdoor dining igloos last winter and they were hit, so they're back again.

Catch-a-Fire says the igloos can fit up to six people each for a private — and cozy — dining experience. They also have three smaller igloos available for couples. Each igloo is heated and thematically decorated, and includes a Bluetooth speaker to play music.

Full service and the restaurant's full menu are available in each pod, along with a special themed menu of treats including s'mores dip, crema bruciata, hot chocolate and hot apple cider. 9290 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, catchafirepizza.com.

Frosthaus Covington Frosthaus already is the place for frozen drinks, so why not add a fun igloo to the mix? Enjoy table service of the full food and beverage menu while getting cozy in an igloo under magical globe lights. Up to eight people per party can join the fun in Roebling Point.

Igloos can be booked for two-hour slots for $20-$30 on weekends or at a discounted rate during the week. 115 Park Place, Covington, frosthauscov.com.

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Kon-Tiki on the Levee At Kon-Tiki, you can get the best of both worlds: fire and ice. Sip tropical cocktails, mai tais and hot chocolate bombs without shivering when you step inside one of Kon-Tiki’s four heated igloos. Listen to tunes through the Bluetooth speakers or play board games with a group of up to eight people. Afterward, take in the view of Cincinnati’s riverfront along the Ohio River. Reserve the space with a $50 deposit. 1 Levee Way, Suite 21377, Newport, kontikionthelevee.com.

Narrow Path Brewing Situated right alongside the Loveland Bike Trail, Narrow Path offers craft brews and a large front patio. During the summer months, you can find food trucks and assorted seating outside, while in the winter, the brewery sets up a handful of heated domes. Each seats up to eight people. Reserve online in advance for 45-minute, 1-hour-and-45minute or 2-hour-and-45-minute time slots. 106 Karl Brown Way, Loveland, narrowpathbrewing.com.

The View at Shires Garden

Braxton’s igloos come decorated P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B R A X T O N B R E W I N G C O .

From November through March, Shires Garden offers both rooftop igloos and terrace greenhouses that come with heating and a Bluetooth speaker. Located on the 10th floor outdoor patio, the heated oases accommodate up to eight guests and are reservable for two hours maximum.

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, Downtown, theviewatshiresgarden.com.

Upper Deck at the AC Hotel Winter weather won’t stop this downtown rooftop patio from keeping the party going. The AC Upper Deck at The Banks has transformed into a winter wonderland, offering cozy, illuminated igloos this season. The heated igloos seat up to eight guests each. Call in advance for reservations or sign up online; a food and drink minimum is required. 135 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown, acupperdeck.com.

Up to six people can fit in the igloos at Catch-a-Fire Pizza P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY C AT C H - A - F I R E P I Z Z A

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12 Drive-Thru and Walk-Thru Light Displays BY cittbeat staff

Journey BOREALIS P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY PY R A M I D H I L L S C U L P T U R E PA R K & M U S E U M

These light shows — both new and classic — are open as either drive-thru or walkthru experiences to illuminate your spirits and brighten your winter.

Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Ranked the No. 1 zoo light show in America by USA Today for three years in a row, the 39th-annual Festival of Lights turns the Cincinnati Zoo into an illuminated wonderland. This year's display features 4 million LED lights spread throughout the park, as well as 27 glowing animal lanterns and the fan-favorite synchronized Wild Lights show at Swan Lake. A new "Under the Sea" area at Cat Canyon will offer some immersive fun and a new photo op. Visit with Santa in Santa's Village, check out the Madcap blacklight puppet show or take a ride on the North Polar Express train. Holly Jolly Elves with cheery singing voices from Lachey Arts — as in Drew Lachey — will be wandering the zoo along with other costumed characters. And special sparkling Fiona fairy statues will be hidden in Hippo Cove to find (but not take). If you need something to warm you up, stop by one of the s'mores stations to roast your own treat or grab a bag of freshly roasted nuts. For an extra boost, add a shot of schnapps to your steamy hot chocolate. If you want to see the animals, the zoo recommends coming earlier in the day and staying. Some indoor exhibits are also open. Through Jan. 9, 2022. Included with zoo admission. 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.

Lumaze at the Duke Energy Convention Center Holiday light viewing doesn’t have to be cold or seen through your car window.

Instead, enjoy the seasonal spectacle at downtown's Duke Energy Convention Center with Lumaze, a self-described “all-indoor Christmas light festival and market.”

Organizers say the theme for Cincinnati's inaugural Lumaze is “Glow Around the World,” where visitors will find iconic landmarks — like the Great Pyramids, Big Ben and the Taj Mahal — rendered in light throughout the indoor winter wonderland. Look for LED hopscotch, a fully stocked bar and 100,000 square feet of lights.

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Through Jan. 1, 2022. Weekday tickets start at $22.99 for adults and $16.99 for seniors, veterans and kids ages 4-12. Prices go up on weekends. Family bundles available. 525 Elm St., Downtown, lumazelights.com.

Christmas Nights of Lights at Coney Island Coney Island transforms into a drive-thru Christmas show during Christmas Nights of Lights. Enjoy the warmth of your car while lights manipulated to resemble dancing candy canes, glowing snowmen, colorful tunnels and giant holiday trees are synchronized to Christmas tunes both classic and new, available via your car radio.

The two-and-a-half-mile long display features more than 1 million lights. Through Jan. 2, 2022. $7 per person; free for 3 and under; available at the gate. 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.

Light in the Forest at Cincinnati Nature Center The Cincinnati Nature Center is once again doing a holiday glow-up this winter with their Light in the Forest woods walk. Now in its second year, this event takes over the grounds of the center and Rowe Woods with unique light displays and new installations "certain to capture the imaginations of all ages" from Brave Berlin (the team behind BLINK and Lumenocity), according to a release. Brave Berlin coowners Steve McGowan and Dan Reynolds say they worked in harmony with the forest while designing their original light art. Through Jan. 2, 2022. Light in the Forest will be closed Dec. 24 and 25. $12 adults; $7 children; $2 discount for members. 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, cincynature.org.

Holiday in Lights at Sharon woods This nostalgic mile-long holiday spectacle features more than 1 million lights decorating over 250 vignettes along a woodland path depicting "everything from

Lumaze at the Duke Energy Convention Center P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / L U M A Z E C I N C I N N AT I

The Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Walking into the Festival of Lights

P H OTO : A DA M D OT Y

P H OTO : A DA M D OT Y

Santa Claus and his elves, to every animal on the ark," says the website. There's also an option to buy some special effects glasses ($2 for one pair and three pairs for $5) to enhance the drive. The park has walkable tours of the lights, with one date left on Dec. 29. No cars will be allowed on those nights. Purchase your tickets in advance online or by card at the gate; no cash. Through Dec. 30. $17 per car/truck/SUV; $55 bus; $7 walking ticket.11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville, holidayinlights.com.

Children’s Research Hospital, the Little Miami Food Pantry, Neediest Kids of All and Shriners Hospital for children. Through Dec. 23. $20 per carload; $30 oversized vans; free parking. 3205 S. Waynesville Road, Morrow, thechristmasranch.com.

Journey BOREALIS at Pyramid Hill Hamilton's Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum is upping the wow factor once again with its second-annual Journey BOREALIS drive-thru light display. The immersive illuminated experience includes "light art, installation art, and projection mapping.” Displays include an ode to Hanukkah and a journey through a Germaninspired candy cane forest (with 50 yarn-wrapped trees by yarn bombers the Bombshells of Cincinnati), the Grinch's Greenland, Bethlehem and the North Pole.

There is also an 80-foot light tunnel and a total of more than 1 million lights spread throughout the park. This year's soundtrack is provided by the Butler Philharmonic Orchestra with tracks sung by the Cincinnati Boychoir. Before visiting, download the Otocast app to your phone for a mapped musical experience. Through Jan. 2, 2022. $20 per car Monday-Thursday; $25 per car Friday-Sunday; $15 per car for members; free for Hamilton residents on Tuesdays. 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, journeyborealis.com.

Light Up the Fair at Boone County Fairgrounds Located at the Boone County Fairgrounds, this Northern Kentucky drive-through light display spans two miles long with more than half a million dazzling lights and is synchronized to music through each visitor’s car radio. Through Jan. 1, 2022. $7 per person; free for children under 4 and first responders. 5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington, facebook.com/LightUpTheFair.

The Christmas Ranch Take a drive up to Morrow to visit the Christmas Ranch, a winter wonderland that features 1 million lights synchronized to music. Drive along an animated, illuminated route or park the car to visit the Christmas village with six shops, a bakery and café, and train and wagon rides. A portion of proceeds benefit St. Jude

Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion Land of Illusion — a haunted horror town during Halloween and a family-friendly splash zone during the summer — transforms into a drive-thru holiday light display this winter. Christmas Glow offers "over 3.8 million lights at the 2-mile long Christmas Around the World drive-thru experience," per its website, as well as a petting zoo, Christmas Village (with hot cocoa, fire pits and a 45-foot Christmas tree), Santa's workshop and a gift shop. Through Dec. 30. $7 per person. 8762 Thomas Road, Middletown, landofillusion.com.

Light Up Middletown This "fantasy drive-thru light display in Middletown, Ohio's downtown 100 acre Smith Park" not only decks the halls with tons of glowing holiday displays, but it also serves as a fundraiser for Middletown City Parks. Through Dec. 31. Admission is by cash donation. 500 Tytus Ave., Middletown, lightupmiddletown.org.

Legendary Lights of Historic Clifton Mill Prepare to be amazed by the dazzling lights of Clifton Mill — 4 million of them.

The historic Yellow Springs mill, plus the surrounding trees, riverbank and covered bridge, are illuminated from bottom-to-top in colorful lights. Through Dec. 30. $10 per person; free for 3 and under. 75 Water St., Yellow Springs, cliftonmill.com/ christmas.

ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum The Creation Museum turns its botanical gardens into a special ChristmasTown each year. Discover thousands of lights and displays along the garden trails, as well as a live nativity, a petting zoo, an ice skating rink, a gift shop and holiday food.

Through Dec. 30. ChristmasTown is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The outdoor exhibit is free; some attractions require a ticket. 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, Kentucky, creationmuseum.org.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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Five Model Train Displays

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

Holiday Junction at the Cincinnati Museum Center P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I M U S E U M C E N T E R

Get in the seasonal spirit by visiting some of Cincinnati’s holiday model train displays.

Holiday Junction at the Cincinnati Museum Center The Duke Energy Holiday Trains are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year. The display first debuted in downtown Cincinnati in 1946, and this year’s iteration at the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Holiday Junction features 60 trains, with more than 300 total railcars, zooming along cozy, miniature winter vignettes. Check out the details at track level, or see an overview from above.

In addition to the little locomotives, visitors can find everything in this winter wonderland from LEGO builds “featuring whimsical scenes and characters from your favorite books and movies” to scavenger hunts to an interactive storybook that relays the history of the train display. Of course, Santa will be there getting his sleigh ready and feeding his reindeer.

“Year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, the Duke Energy Holiday Trains have delighted families during the holidays,” says Elizabeth Pierce, CMC president and CEO, in a release. “Some people will fall in love with the trains for the first time this year, others for the 75th time, but for everyone we are delighted to once again stoke the fires and send this

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beloved holiday tradition along their 1,000 feet of track for past and present generations alike.” Through Jan. 3, 2022.

Included with admission. 1301 Western Ave.,Queensgate, cincymuseum.org.

Trains and Traditions, a Cincinnati Holiday at Krohn Conservatory Krohn Conservatory is upping the whimsy factor this winter with floral show Trains and Traditions, a Cincinnati Holiday. The exhibit features "a tapestry of colorful poinsettias, charming garden railways and beautiful replicas of Cincinnati landmarks created out of 'botanical architecture' by local artisans Applied Imagination," per the Krohn. Look for mini but elaborate stick-like renderings of structures including the Roebling Suspension Bridge, Taft Museum of Art, Union Terminal and the Krohn itself.

Trolleys, streetcars, Cincinnati-themed locomotives and even Thomas the Tank chug along both elevated and eye-level railways, all surrounded by holiday flowers, blooming schlumbergera (aka Christmas cactus) and other verdant greenery. Through Jan. 9, 2022. $10 adults; $7 ages 5-17; free kids 4 and under. 1501 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, cincinnatiparks.com.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

Trains and Traditions, a Cincinnati Holiday at the Krohn Conservatory P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX

The holiday train display at the Highfield Discovery Garden P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY G R E AT PA R K S O F H A M I LT O N C O U N T Y

Holiday Toy Trains at the BehringerCrawford Museum The Behringer-Crawford Museum in Covington boasts its own tiny train display, Holiday Toy Trains, with locomotives traveling along 250 feet of track.

The museum says eight trains will travel through 30 miniature recreations of “cities, farms and snow-covered fields.”

Visitors can interact with the O-gauge Lionel model trains by activating landmarks including a bus station, car wash and firehouse — complete with an animated firefighter sliding down a fire pole. There is also a carnival with moving rides and attractions.

Brick builds from the Ohio-KentuckyIndiana LEGO User’s Group complete the exhibit, with a chance for kids (and adults) to build their own creative and colorful LEGO creations. Through Jan. 9, 2022. $9 adults; $8 seniors; $5 ages 3-17. 1600 Montague Road, Covington, bcmuseum.org.

Christmas at Entertrainment Junction The Krohn display includes botanical architecture and winter florals P H O T O : C AT I E V I OX

Visit Entertrainment Junction — home of the self-proclaimed “world’s largest G-Scale model train display” — for some train-based entertainment, as

well as holiday cheer. They’ve transformed their entrance area into a 1930s Main Street scene, featuring Christmas lights and decor, and added a “Journey to the North Pole” walk-through adventure. Make your way to the North Pole to visit Santa and pass snowy landscapes, a post office, reindeer stables and the elves’ toy-making workshop.

Mrs. Claus will be in the kitchen with fresh cookies for kids, and Santa will be in his study waiting to hear holiday wishes. Santa will be available alternating days either in person or via video chat. Through Jan. 2, 2022. Tickets start at $9.95. 7379 Squire Court, West Chester, entertrainmentjunction.com.

Holiday Train Display at Highfield Discovery Garden Take a trip to Highfield Discovery Gardens at Great Parks’ Glenwood Gardens to see an O-scale model train display. The collection, from owner Bill Schott, features a scenic journey along the Great Circle Line & Points North Rail Road, complete with tiny snowcovered towns, wintry mountains, an ice-covered harbor and various intersecting railways. Through Jan. 9, 2022.

Included with $3 Cool Season admission. 10397 Springfield Pike, Woodlawn, greatparks.org.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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12 Days of Festive Things To Do

BY MAGGY MCDONEL

Jason Dunham’s 2020 holiday display P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY J A S O N D U N H A M

While the 12 days of Christmas are traditionally the 12 days following the holiday, most people today like to do their Christmas celebrations in the days leading up to Dec. 25. So to give our readers some holiday inspiration, we’ve made a list of 12 festive things to do before Santa comes to town. (And check out the other attractions listed in the Winter Guide for more ideas.)

Day 1: Go See Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s annual send-up of Christmas classics is back onstage.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) transforms a production of A Christmas Carol into an irreverent and fast-paced skewering of other holiday favorites ranging from It’s a Wonderful Life to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Three actors (and a Drunk Santa, played by Miranda McGee) spend 90-plus minutes of “high octane jollity and frivolity” making merry this season in an adult-friendly romp through both kitschy and nostalgic Christmas favorites. Through Dec. 26. Tickets start at $14. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

Day 2: Catch the Holiday Pops at Music Hall Get into the holiday spirit with a little help from the Cincinnati Pops and conductor John Morris Russell. The Pops perform a variety of holiday favorites with help from vocalist Michael Preacely and singers from the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir and May Festival Chorus, as well as dancers from the Studio for Dance. The program is full of Christmas classics like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night.” You can also watch a livestream of the show on Dec. 11. Remaining shows Dec. 10-12. $25 adults; $20 students; $15 under 17. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatisymphony. org.

Day 3: Participate In or Avoid Cincinnati Santacon The annual hibernal holiday pub crawl (or horror show, depending on whether or not you appreciate 10,000 drunk Santas on the streets) known as Cincinnati Santacon returns on Dec. 11. Don your best Christmas character costume and meet at the "North Pole"(aka Hard Rock Casino) to embark on a group drinking adventure to 50 venues around downtown

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DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine and Northern Kentucky. Registration includes a wristband, itinerary with official bar stops, access to food and drink deals and a donation to The Cure Starts Now. There’s a lyric sheet online for songs to sing, and tips for being a good Santa, like don’t drink and drive and don’t be a dick to cops, kids or security. Noon-midnight Dec. 11. $10 advance; $15 day-of. Hard Rock Casino, 1000 Broadway St., Pendleton, cincinnatisantacon. com.

Day 4: Shop Local at the City Flea Holiday Market Knock everyone off your list in one place during the City Flea’s Holiday Market at Washington Park — a two-day event with both daytime and evening hours. Stroll and shop local makers offering everything from stuff for kids and pets to apothecary items, artisan eats and vintage goodies. The holiday market is set to have different vendors for each day, so stop by both days if you want to see all that Cincy has to offer. 4-9 p.m. Dec. 11; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 12. Free. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, thecityflea.com.

Day 5: Get Slightly Freaked Out During A Christmas Nightmare at Dent Schoolhouse The spirits of Dent Schoolhouse get in the holiday spirit with a Christmas Nightmare event at the popular haunted house. For two nights only, Charlie the Janitor is Santa Charlie in a scary attraction full of garlands, lights and twisted holiday monsters. Think Krampus, killer elves and really bad fruitcake. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11. $25-$55. Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.

Day 6: Ice Skate Below the Eiffel Tower at WinterFest at Kings Island Get in the festive mood by visiting WinterFest at Kings Island, where the amusement park has transformed into 11 different “winter wonderlands.” There is ice skating on the Royal Fountain and the 314-foot Eiffel Tower has turned into a festive Christmas tree, shrouded in over 5 million lights. Up to 20 rides remain open, including the park’s 3,265-foot-long wooden coaster, Mystic Timbers. Expect live entertainment throughout the park and tons of activities like carriage rides, ice carvers and Jack Frost’s Igloo Village, plus themed food and drink. Through Dec. 31. $29.99. Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason visitkingsisland.com.

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David Wallace Destinee Thomas Don Griffith

Day 7: Visit Scuba Santa at the Newport Amanda Parker-Wolery Aquarium Anne Arenstein Anne Mitchell Scuba Santa has returned to the Newport Aquarium for the 19th year of this “one-of-a-kind” Anthony Johnson Anthony Verticchio Cincinnati tradition. Every day through Dec. 24, Scuba Santa will be swimming in a tank Barrett Smith of sharks, ready and happy to hear what any young guests want for Christmas. Father Bavi Rivera Bethe Goldenfield Christmas will, of course, have his team of elves helping him out — and making sure he’sBill Rinehart Brandon Harris not eaten. The entire aquarium is decked out for the holiday with festive lights and music.Brent Patterson Casey Through Dec. 24. $22.99-34.99 adults; $14.99-26.99 children 2-12. The Newport Aquarium,Titschinger Charles Green Connie Hinitz 1 Levee Way, Newport, newportaquarium.com.

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Amanda Parker-Wolery D. S.Cincinnati Uhlhorn Gregory Kornbluh A favorite family tradition is back onstage at Music Hall as the Anne Arenstein Deirdre Kaye Ballet presents Heather Barber AnneIt’s Mitchell Jane Simon their annual rendition of The Nutcracker.

Christmas Eve, Diane and Stemper Clara and her nutcracker Anthony Johnson Donna Dee Snyder Jason Martin prince must wage war against an evil mouse king and journey to the Land of Sweets, where Anthony Verticchio Earl Apel Jennifer Hester Barrett from Smith around the Elissa Jennifer Schneider a Sugar Plum Fairy and dancing delicacies globeYancey celebrate Clara’s bravery.

Bavi Rivera Ellen Boyne Jenny Watters Choreographed by the ballet’s artistic director, Victoria Morgan, theJobe imaginative two-act Bethe Goldenfield Emily Jess Linz Rinehart Jim Caskey event features swirling snowflakes andBill Tchaikovsky’s iconic Emma scoreTillman played by the Cincinnati Brandon Harris Eric Urbas John Fox Symphony Orchestra. Through Dec. Brent 26. $29-$129.

Elm St., Over-thePatterson Music Hall, Evan1241 Millward Jonathan Neal Casey Titschinger Fred Yaeger Joseph Schwering Rhine, cballet.org.

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Instead of landing on a rooftop with his reindeer-drawn sleigh, Santa will literally be rapMetzger Carole Winters Eric Lewis pelling from a Cincinnati skyscraper Aaron at this weekend celebration.

Music and other holiday Adrian Smith Catherine Cook Greg Terhune activities at Fountain Square lead up toAmy the at Mayhew 7 p.m., which Heather is followed Aligbig Santa show Christine Britt by Amy Hunterhot chocolate Craig Gentry Heidithe Jostadults a festive fireworks display. Enjoy ice skating, and boozy drinks for Becky Regenold David Purcell Helen Morehouse while you wait for the main event. Santa will make his appearance rain or shine, unless Beth Palm David Tashjian Ian Rexroad the Brad11 Turner Wallace Fountain Jackie Reau 520 weather is extreme. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. and 18. Free David admission.

Square Brandon Gross Destinee Thomas Jennifer Schmitz Vine St., Downtown, myfountainsquare.com.

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Day 9: Listen to Over the Rhine’s Annual Christmas Concert

Day 11: Be Transported to the Land of Sweets with Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker

Scott Rose Sean And Anne Murphy Sean Conlon

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Amy Purcell Amy Raghuraman Amy Stiefel Andrew Hemmelgarn Andrew Price Andy Brownfield Angelique Wilson Anjali Nelson Cincinnati favorite Folk duo Over the Rhine is having a live, in-person show at MemorialAnna Boegehold Anna Parnigoni Hall this holiday season. The two are touring the country from December to May 2022, but Anne Flottman Anne Stocker will be making a special stop in Cincinnati for a Christmas celebration. After performing their Annette Wick Athanasia Nikolaou annual and highly anticipated holiday special virtually last year, the group is bringing the Athie Livas spirit of Christmas back to fans with a live performance. They will be performing a mix ofBentley Davis Beth Ewing classic holiday music and their own folksy tunes. 8 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18; 2 p.m. Dec. 19. $45Beth Warmuth Betsy Shank $75. Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St. Over-the-Rhine, memorialhallotr.com.

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Ebenezer Scrooge — and actor Bruce Cromer — are back onstage for this family favorite Aaron Sharpe in 2021. This is Cromer's 17th time playing the Christmas-hating curmudgeon, who finallyAaron Slovin Adam Doty remembers the reason for the season after being visited by three holiday apparitions. Adrick Hawley Aine Baldwin (Although the full version of A Christmas Carol was put on hold last year, Cromer still played Alan Sunderman Alana Jenkins Scrooge in a one-man radio play on Cincinnati Public Radio.) Charles Dickens' tale is Alex Parks Alexander Wolf brought to life on the Playhouse stage this year with full costuming, characters and special Alison Hayfer Aly Gomez effects. Through Dec. 30. $30-$98. Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Amanda Lee Anderson Adams, cincyplay.com.

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Day 8: See the Spirits of Christmas in A Christmas Carol at Playhouse in the Park

Day 10: Watch Santa Rappel Down a Building During Downtown Dazzle

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Day 12: Visit the Classic Shillito’s Elves at Findlay Market

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This holiday season Findlay Market is featuring a classic Cincinnati Christmas tradition, the $5/MO OR $50 ONE-TIME DONATION Shillito’s Elves. These mechanical elf dolls from Shillito’s downtown department store winAaronsince Sharpe the 1950s,Bob Driehaus Dennis Pattinson Katie Barrier Manos Semertzides Pam Collins Shari Kelly-Burrows dows have been around the Queen City and this year six magical vignettes Jared Newman Aaron Slovin Bob Schute Denny Gibson Jason Gargano Katie Brown Margaret Mcgurk Parker Cohen Shelly Woodward will be on display at the Leader Furniture has transformed intoWashington the theBobby Straka Dorcas AdamStore.

Doty The space Jeanne Fisher Katie Niemeyer Margy Waller Patricia Wegman Sherrie Kinderdine Brad Gibson events inside Dot Crane Hawley Jeff Brinkman Keith Pandolfi Mariann Quinn Paul Slater Sophie Wean matic “Elves on Elder” pop-up. ThereAdrick will be rotating family-friendly the store, Brandi Ballou Eira Tansey Aine Baldwin Jeff Mellott Ken Katkin Mark Jeffreys Penny Rose Stephen Kuntz Alanevenings Sunderman after the Brent Stroud Elizabeth Jennifer Mastrorocco Kenzie Borgmann Mark Mahoney Phil Carver Stephen Sauer including storytelling and crafts. In the kiddos have had their fun,Brown the Brian Boyer Elizabeth Stockton Alana Jenkins Jill Dunne Kevin Clarisey Mary Burton Phil Clark Steven Magas space will change into a “cozy cocktailAlex and musical experience” with specialty cocktails and Brian Boyer Ella Mulford Parks Jill Dunne Kevin Cole Mary Manera Rachel Szeles Stu Mcculloch Ellenanimated Schmidt Wolf Elves areCarol Jill Morenz Kevin Necessary Mary Uetrecht Randall Smith Tammy Richardson food from the market. Through Dec. Alexander 31; Shillito’s on Horn display daily and on Alison Hayfer Charles Curran Elliott Liddle Jim Nolan Kevin Reynolds Mary Woodconstable Rhonda Dossenbach Tara Keesling weekends. Free. Findlay Market, 1801 Aly Race findlaymarket.org.

GomezSt., Over-the-Rhine, Chas Wiederhold Eric Palmer Joan Smith Kevin Shaw Mary-Elizabeth Keefe Rich Richmond Teresa Brolley Season presented byMatthew SCHUELER CO. Thomas Hastings Amanda Lee Anderson Chet Closson Erin Duffy Joe Rosemeyer Kiersten Wones JentGROUP and HEIDELBERG Richard DISTRIBUTING Emery Amy Elder Chris And Emily Dobbs Evangeline Bauerle John Alberti Kristi Jones Season SponsorMatthew LongTHE ROSENTHALRick Baker of New Work: FAMILY FOUNDATION Thomas Scanlon Amy Purcell Chris Bennington Frederick Warren John Bealle Kristin Wilson Behrens Tiffany Vitagliano TheMatthew 2019 cast ofRegnold A Christmas Carol. Photo byRigel Mikki Schaffner.

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Upcoming Specials / Events: Every Monday, All Specialty Pizzas are only $11 Holiday Themed Trivia (Elf) on Monday, December 13th Free Cookie Decorating (in partnership with Rhinegeist) on Tuesday, December 21st

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ARTS & CULTURE

Ebenezer Scrooge (Bruce Cromer, foreground) and Jacob Marley (Greg Procaccino) in A Christmas Carol at the Playhouse in the Park P H OTO : M I K K I S C H A F F N E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

Cheer Onstage Drunk Santa, Scrooge, Cinderella and more take center stage in local holiday performances

BY R I C K P E N D E R

C

incinnati’s mainstream theaters are back for the winter holidays, along with COVID-19 safety precautions (requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test, plus masking). Some productions began before Thanksgiving, but by early

December, shows from Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Playhouse in the Park, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will be delighting audiences in full force.

KNOW THEATRE OF CINCINNATI Know Theatre’s Tamara Winters has staged Reina Hardy’s witty and thoughtprovoking Glassheart (through Dec. 12). The starting point for Glassheart is the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” but Hardy has reshaped it into a contemporary tale.

Adam Tran plays the Beast, now a despairing agoraphobe, hiding out in a barren Chicago apartment after failing in Europe to find love that would end the curse of his ugliness. He’s

accompanied by the last of his devoted servants, the faithful and extremely chatty Lamp (Hannah Gregory). His landlord is a thinly disguised witch (Jodie Livner) with her own motives.

Rounding out the cast is a very sassy damsel in distress, Aoife (Julie Locker), who is trapped in the apartment and hoping that love will take root.

It doesn’t, at least not as expected.

Glassheart has a magical undercurrent beneath a veneer of reality, punctured

by Aoife’s sassy, honest observations.

Gregory’s chipper Lamp is the highlight, although each actor fully embraces

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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Miranda McGee as Drunk Santa in Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company P H OTO : M I K K I S C H A F F N E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

Hardy’s offbeat dialogue in exploring the nature of love and self-definition.

An intriguing piece of theater, Glassheart is not suited for young children but will be entertaining for teens and adults. 1120 Jackson St., Over the Rhine, knowtheatre.com.

CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY Perhaps even less suited for young Santa believers is Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (through Dec. 26). It’s the 15th year for this compendium aimed at older teens and adults, gently satirizing just about every “BHC” (“beloved holiday classic”).

Miranda McGee hosts, playing Drunk Santa for the 13th year and delivering wry remarks from a sleigh at stage right.

Two other veterans, the innocently and persistently manic Justin McCombs and quick-witted Geoff Barnes, join newbie Candice Handy’s Charles Dickens fan who is frustrated by her disrespectful castmates.

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The show evolves from year to year with in-the-moment updates. The current gloriously over-decorated iteration has multiple mentions of the COVID-19 pandemic (Santa’s feeble greeting from the audience evokes, “Like me, you’ve forgotten how to talk to one another”) plus there is plenty of gentle humor spawned by recent news, including a running gag involving Pop star Kanye West.

The show, staged by Jeremy Dubin, involves audience interaction and lots of spur-of-the-moment ad-libbing by the cast. It’s a laugh-out-loud production from start to finish. 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

PLAYHOUSE IN THE PARK From 1991 to 2019, the Playhouse in the Park’s venerable staging of A Christmas Carol (through Dec. 30) has been a holiday favorite — a true “BHC” — with 1,115 performances attended by nearly 660,000 people. The Playhouse says 2021 is the final presentation of this version of Dickens’s 1843 story of miser

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

Ebenezer Scrooge’s ghostly midnight conversion.

A new adaptation is in the works for the holidays in 2023, using the bells and whistles of a new, under-construction mainstage. There’s no word yet about what will be offered for 2022.

It’s likely that audiences will flock to see veteran local professional actor Bruce Cromer’s Scrooge one final time. He’s played the role for 17 years, according to the Playhouse, after first appearing as Bob Cratchit for eight. The Playhouse production employs many local performers, including actor Greg Procaccino, who has played nine different characters over the years. Procaccino’s standout roles have included the startling ghost of Jacob Marley and the creepy buyer of stolen goods, Old Joe. The production is a marvel of stage technology, recreating Victorian London by using trap doors and revolving platforms and accompanied by a marvelously eerie, ethereal soundscape. There are nearly 100 Victorian costumes used for each performance, with the costume department keeping two sizes for child actors who might

grow while in the show for two or three years. A Christmas Carol uses 13 wigs and eight additional hair pieces such as sideburns, beards and mustaches. 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE CINCINNATI Fractured fairy-tale-based musicals are a long-running holiday tradition at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. For more than two decades, the most popular productions have been brushed up and repeated; this year it’s Cinderella (through Dec. 30) for the fourth time.

The show is especially imaginative, with Cinderella as a nearsighted bookworm who has a pair of selfabsorbed stepsisters and a diva stepmother. Her fairy godmother is a self-empowering “well-wisher.” The romantically challenged Prince, who also is devoted to reading, must pursue his true love with a high-top sneaker rather than a glass slipper.

ETC annually uses its excellent acting ensemble for these musicals. Brooke

Cinderella at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY E N S E M B L E T H E AT R E C I N C I N N AT I

Steele and Patrick Earl Phillips play Cinderella and her Prince, respectively.

Michael Bath and Deb Girdler are the hapless King and his overbearing Queen. Sara Mackie and Torie Wiggins are the hilarious stepsisters, and Kate Wilford is their domineering mother.

The show “sends a message that inner beauty, strength,and intelligence are the keys to success,” says ETC’s D. Lynn Meyers, who staged Cinderella.

“It’s about finding the better part of yourself and using the rest of your life to celebrate it. It’s a delightful story that will bring laughter, hope, and smiles to adults and children. It was an easy choice to do this show right now. We can all use a little joy and hope.” 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, ensemblecincinnati.org.

CHILDREN’S THEATRE OF CINCINNATI Another fine holiday offering for kids is Elf The Musical JR. (through Dec. 12)

by Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati at the Taft Theatre. This 70-minute production, adapted from the 2003 movie starring Will Ferrell, was a recordbreaking, sold-out hit for CTC in 2016.

From Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s 2016 production of Elf The Musical JR. P H OTO : M I K K I S C H A F F N E R P H OTO G R A P H Y

It’s the story of Buddy, a human orphan who ends up at the North Pole, thinking he’s an elf. But he’s too big and a clumsy toy maker, so he travels to New York

City in search of his real roots. Artistic Director Roderick Justice tells CityBeat, “After two stressful years, we need our spirits lifted through theater.” That’s

precisely what Buddy’s story is likely to do for young theatergoers — and their parents. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., downtown, thechildrenstheatre.com.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

MOVIES/TV

Black Cincinnati Cinema Collective Honors Film and TV Production Pros

BY N ATA L I E C L A R E

Black Cincinnati Cinema Awards honorees with members of the B3C team P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B L A C K C I N C I N N AT I C I N E M A C O L L E C T I V E

McKinsey & Company, a research and consultancy firm that studies diversity matters, found that less than 6% of writers, directors and producers of U.S. films are Black. For both film and television, they also found that “Black talent tends to be shut out of projects unless senior team members are Black.”

A Cincinnati group wants to change that.

Training up-and-coming Black filmmakers while also recognizing the particular realities that people of color in the industry face, like racial inequity both on- and off-screen, is the mission of the Black Cincinnati Cinema Collective (B3C).

On Saturday, Dec. 11, B3C is hosting the Cincinnati Black Cinema Awards Gala at Union Hall in Over-the-Rhine.

The event will honor five Black filmmakers and production professionals who have worked locally in film and television for decades. In addition to an awards ceremony, the gala will include short film screenings, a beverage and wine bar, and live music.

B3C was co-founded in 2017 by Vernard S. Fields and Alphonzo “Zo” Wesson, who shared a desire to strengthen a network of local production professionals and celebrate Black stories.

The organization helps folks navigate the industry and establish technical building blocks as storytellers and crew

members. They invite veteran professionals to share stories of their careers and provide critical feedback to help newcomers hone their craft.

“I got tired of people saying, ‘If there’s Black talent out there, I don’t know where to find it.’ You find it in the same place you find white talent,” Wesson says.

Wesson is a 28-time Emmy Awardwinner whose body of work spans feature-length films, documentaries, commercials and television shows. He was the first Black commercial production manager at P&G and the first Black director at P&G’s Woodlawn studios.

He’s also one of the gala’s honorees.

B3C’s other co-founder, Fields, is an independent filmmaker and the producer for the Cincinnati chapter of The 48 Hour Film Project — a global film initiative in which production crews have 48 hours to write, shoot and edit their own films.

Fields says Wesson was instrumental in jump-starting his career, and he wanted to provide the same opportunity for others through B3C “to help build one another up.”

Wesson has mentored many production professionals, specifically people of color. “It gives me joy to put money in somebody else’s pocket, to show them that their talent is being recognized, that there is a place for them in this

industry if they continue to apply themselves and grow,” Wesson says.

Cincinnati was recently named the No. 13 Best Place to Live & Work as a Filmmaker by MovieMaker Magazine, making it the fourth straight year the Queen City has earned the honor. The city moved up one spot from its No. 14 showing in 2020.

The magazine highlights Cincinnati’s downtown skyline, low cost of living and Ohio’s 30% motion picture tax credit as chief among the reasons for the city’s emergence as a stalwart that has lured films such as 2015’s Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara; 2017’s Killing of a Sacred Deer, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell; and 2019’s Dark Waters, starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway.

Cincinnati being a Midwestern film hub only adds to the importance of B3C’s mission.

With the Cinema Awards Gala, B3C will honor longtime local industry professionals with lifetime achievement awards.

Honoree John A. Calhoun has been working in media for more than 40 years. He’s worked in broadcast engineering, camera operating, postproduction, voiceover work and sound engineering. He’s been on film sets and in commercials, taught production locally and will be acting in two

upcoming films as a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Calhoun recalls nearly switching career paths in 1996 when securing a well-paying job in post-production was a challenge. “I intended to leave the industry altogether and go back to data processing. That is, until I got a call from Zo Wesson. He was looking to diversify a post-production house that he was bringing a major account to. He helped me get my foot in the door as an assistant editor for that post house, and that’s all I needed,” Calhoun says.

Honoree Robin Fields is a costume designer and stylist who has worked on studio productions filmed in Ohio such as The Shawshank Redemption, Milk Money, Dark Waters and several others.

She’s also a board member for Women in Film Cincinnati.

Honoree Nikk Hearn-Sutton is a camera and Steadicam operator. The first Black union operator as part of International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, he recently finished work on Bones & All, which was shot in Cincinnati and stars Timothée Chalamet.

Hearn-Sutton calls the network of Cincinnati production folks a close-knit family, as many of them have “come up through the ranks together.” He views his affiliation with B3C as a responsibility to provide knowledge and guidance to newcomers. That includes everything

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Alphonzo “Zo” Wesson P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B L A C K C I N C I N N AT I C I N E M A C O L L E C T I V E

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Image caption: Wedding Dress and Wedding Military Outfit, Sense and Sensibility, 1995, Ang Lee, director. Worn by Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood and Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon. Jenny Beavan and John Bright, costume designers

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DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

from set etiquette and craft-specific training to having the right attitude and “having a love of what you do.”

“We as a cinema collective — and being Black, as well — from my perspective has been a difficult journey.

Not given the opportunity to learn and grow where my other colleagues have and having to learn my trade as camera operator and Steadicam myself,” Hearn-Sutton says. “I want to make the next generations coming up have more opportunities and be in the numbers when it comes to their craft, getting that job.”

Honoree C.M. Brown started his career in New York, working on martial arts-related films and music videos for Japanese, Korean and Chinese film or television companies and has since built a career in sports, news, network television and documentary production. When he arrived in Cincinnati in 2001, he says the industry looked different but that the “culture of production” is growing and that B3C is contributing to that growth.

“I would love to see more of our stories, told from our perspective, our point of view. The only way that’s going

to happen is if the story is told by us, instead of someone else altering the characters, the stories and so forth so it fits their particular worldview,” Brown says.

B3C invites all who are interested in Cincinnati-based production to the awards gala, but Fields says they have a specific goal to elevate Black stories.

“You come here, you’re going to get rich Black content, and it doesn’t matter who’s serving it to you.”

Black Cincinnati Cinema Collective hosts the Cincinnati Black Cinema Awards Gala at Union Hall in Over-the-Rhine on Dec. 11.

Tickets range from $80 to $100. Part of the proceeds will go to a nonprofit organization to educate future filmmakers. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com, with more info at b3conline.org.

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DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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FOOD & DRINK

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire P H OTO : S E A N M . P E T E RS

Familiar Holiday Foods Rarely Seen In Cincinnati Why don’t we roast chestnuts on open fires much anymore?

BY S E A N M . P E T E RS

W

inter’s almost here, so that means families around the globe are getting sentimental for holiday traditions at the table. While there’s nothing wrong with the standard American go-to dishes like roasted ham, gingerbread or milk and cookies, there are certain foods and drinks that tend to be associated with the holiday season that nobody in Cincinnati really eats anymore — even though

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we’re aware of them thanks to old holiday songs, shows and books.

So, if you really want to impress your extended (hopefully fully vaccinated) family at the holiday table this year, consider changing up some appetizers and desserts to weirdly familiar-yet-foreign fare that we’ve all heard about but perhaps never got around to tasting.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

Roasted Chestnuts There’s a very distressing reason we don’t eat many chestnuts roasted on open fires in North America these days. Back around the turn of the 20th century, an infectious fungus was introduced to the American chestnut tree via the commercial import of Southeast Asian chestnut trees, resulting in a catastrophic blight that wiped out an estimated 5 billion trees over the span of 30 years. Chestnut was one of the most prominent hardwood trees in the Eastern U.S., whereas it’s now functionally extinct.

The eradication of the American chestnut had much larger ramifications on the environment than future generations simply missing out on a holiday treat: Chestnut trees produce nuts every year and a variety of woodland critters (and humans) depended on them as a vital foodsource, including deer, squirrel and wild turkeys, per the American Chestnut Foundation. Chestnut was so prevalent in woodworking that it came to be known as the “cradle to the grave” lumber, as it was used to build cradles,

pieces of furniture used throughout life and, finally, coffins. These days you can still find limited selections of raw chestnuts in stores, but they’re likely imported from Italy or Turkey.

Chestnuts have a peculiar texture compared to more common nuts found on shelves, they’re a bit spongy and the meat is quite sweet. You don’t need to blaze up a full-blown bonfire to enjoy chestnuts; as long as they’re either boiled on the stove or roasted in the oven, you’ll be able to crack open a few while Jack Frost nips at your nose.

Make sure to score your chestnuts before cooking so they don’t explode (like a potato in a microwave), and once they’re roasted to your liking (takes maybe 15 minutes), let them cool, peel off the skin and enjoy.

Sugar Plums In the classic holiday poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” author Clement Clarke Moore (the work was published anonymously before Moore claimed ownership in the 1830s) writes:

“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads.”

Why would small children be dreaming of sugar-coated fruit? And what exactly does a dancing sugar plum look like, you ask? According to a deep dive

by The Atlantic, the concept of a sugar plum may be referencing everything from a literal comfit — a hard-sugarcovered nut or seed, like a Jordan almond, that was once expensive and difficult to make before mechanization — or the general concept of “good things,” ranging from money to compliments. Another interpretation of the sugar plum is a confection similar to what the British call “boiled sweets;” its texture is akin to hard candy, like a peppermint.

So why don’t we eat sugar plums anymore? Because most of us don’t even know what they are. But, for a sugar plum you can make at home, we turn to celebrity chef Alton Brown. Brown has a recipe for “sweet and spicy” sugar plums: by blitzing a mix of dried fruits (including prunes, aka dried plums) and nuts in a food processor you create a kind of paste that’s sweetened with honey and seasoned with cardamom, anise and caraway, rolled into tiny bitesize balls, then coated in sugar. While they sort of resemble rabbit droppings, the flavorful treats are an easy addition to any holiday spread.

Figgy Pudding If you were hoping figgy pudding would be a custardy pudding like the kind we eat in the U.S., then you’re in for a surprise. This dish is a Britishstyle pudding, like the puffy and savory pastry-like Yorkshire pudding typically served with roast beef. Figgy pudding is a kind of cake made with reconstituted dried fruits, candied ginger, roasted nuts, suet (beef fat), flour and heavy cream. Its pedigree and popularity can be traced to both Medieval (when suet was popular) and Victorian times, and it makes a memorable appearance in A Christmas Carol and the English traditional carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Outside of not being a jiggly pudding, this dish is unique because it is steamed rather than baked.

Once the pudding is cooked through, it’s best served with a dollop of cream on top. Chefs often like to add rum or brandy to the dish, while some even go as far as igniting a healthy dose of highly alcoholic spirits poured on top so the figgy pudding lights up like a yule log. The pyrotechnics serve three purposes: it looks awesome; it adds depth of flavor to the pudding after the alcohol burns off ; and there’s now an open bottle of booze that’s sure to make the holidays with family much more enjoyable.

Plenty of recipes are available online, including for “flaming figgy pudding.”

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THE DISH

North South Baking Company Sets Up Shop in Covington with Bircus Brewing Company

BY M AC K E N Z I E M A N L E Y

North South Baking Company is slinging baked goods in a new home shared with Ludlow, Kentucky-based Bircus Brewing Company. For baker and owner Kate Nycz, it’s a dream years in the making — and it comes just in time for the holidays.

North South, which formed four years ago, had previously operated out of Newport’s Incubator Kitchen Collective and gained a dedicated customer base through wholesale at locations like Ludlow Tavern, Second Sight Spirits and Dangerbird Espresso, as well as selling at local farmers markets like those in Covington and Hyde Park. But Nycz has been in the baking business for 12 years, having held various roles at other bakeries. She moved to Cincinnati from the East Coast in 2017 with the goal of starting her business.

“Despite all the demand with production and the logistics of Thanksgiving, it’s still just so calming to be here,” Nycz says of the new space at 39 W. Pike St. in Covington. “It feels like home.”

On any given day in the shop, visitors may find sweet or savory danishes, buns, cheese knots, brownies or cookies. For bread lovers, there are plenty of varieties to pick up here, too. One menu staple is the flaky, soft “cruffin,” a croissant-muffin hybrid filled with creams or jams. A perfect canvas for seasonal flavors — like the gingerbread cruffin set to debut this winter — Nycz says they’re one of her favorite pastries to make.

For the holiday season, customers can expect different kinds of pies like apple, coconut cream, lemon meringue and chocolate. Festive cookies are also on the docket.

“It’s all based around my life growing up in New Jersey, going to Polish bakeries.

We always got Christmas cookies. Where I grew up, we had bakeries all over the place and that’s something that has really faded away,” Nycz says. “It’s nice to see them coming back to Cincinnati. I think this area was really looking for it. That’s why I moved here: I saw the potential and the proximity to local farms.”

Her cinnamon buns have a taste of childhood, too. Though her mother wasn’t a baker, Nycz remembers the frosting on the Pillsbury cinnamon buns she used to make. North South’s iced take on the classic treat calls back to that memory.

The storefront — previously home to Rose & Mary bakery, which closed earlier this year — is surrounded by a handful of other shops and eateries: Hierophany & Hedge, Point Perk, Grainwell, Agave & Rye and Klingenberg’s Hardware & Paint. The building’s pastel green exterior and large windows beckon to pedestrians. North South’s and Bircus’ joint sign hangs on either side, signifying their union of fresh baked bread and pastries with craft beer and wood-fired pizza.

This Covington location is Bircus’ second taproom, which — like the Ludlow original — specializes in craft beer, the aforementioned ’zas and circus performances. Nycz makes and sells baked goods during morning hours (7 a.m.-noon

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Wednesday through Sunday) while Bircus takes the reins at night.

According to a release, there will be both beer and dessert flights, and Paul Miller — Bircus’ “Chief Goof Officer” — calls the collab “killer.” Nycz first met Miller when she was living in Ludlow, a few blocks from the brewery’s flagship location.

Nycz says finding the Covington location and moving her business there was a fast process. “We moved in two months and opened,” she says.

That’s especially quick when compared to the delays she’s faced on a planned build-out on a North South location in Ludlow. She announced plans for the bakery’s headquarters there in 2019 and that project is still in the works. She sees the partnership with Bircus as one step closer to opening the Ludlow location.

“I absolutely jumped into this because it gives us the steady financial flow of having a storefront and having the capacity to still do wholesale out of (the kitchen),” she says. Nycz says the income from this venture will help bring the eventual Ludlow location to fruition.

Most of North South’s ingredients are sourced locally or as regionally as possible, which makes for fresher produce and rotating, seasonal flavors. It’s a detail influenced by Nycz’s past working in greenhouses and garden centers, as well as selling goods at farmers’ markets and homesteading while living in Michigan.

Beyond produce, the bakery’s eggs and milk also come from local farms.

“The most exciting thing for me on that level was sourcing flour from Janie’s Mill in Illinois. When I first started out here, I was looking so hard for regional flour, somewhere to get a stable product consistently,” Nycz says, adding that Janie’s is an organic stone mill. She likes to use alternative grains in her sweets. Most of North South’s cookies are made with organic whole grains like buckwheat, spelt and rye.

This focus on sourcing from local farms reflects North South’s logo: a hand clasping a sickle, wheat and poppies. Inspired

by Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest, it all ties into what Nycz calls the brand’s “farm punk” aesthetic.

“We are all about local food and kind of scrappy,” she says with a laugh. “I’m not a trained pastry chef. I’ve learned everything on the job. I fell in love with doing bread and that translated into (a love of) doughs — like croissant dough and leavened dough.”

If it weren’t for the partnership with Bircus, Nycz says she wouldn’t have opened the space herself; she calls the pairing a win-win situation. Her goal is to keep the Covington location and eventually open in Ludlow, where North South will serve soups, salads and sandwiches along with the pastry and bakery menu.

“Even just having (this space), it’s a trial run of retail and I’m lucky to have a couple of people who are coming on who are capable and want to take the initiative to make sure that runs well. It’s just going

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

North South’s logo is inspired by Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest.

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY N O R T H S O U T H B A K I N G C O M PA N Y

Mini coconut cream and lemon meringue pies P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY N O R T H S O U T H B A K I N G C O M PA N Y

Pumpkin pie cruffins P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY N O R T H S O U T H B A K I N G C O M PA N Y

to grow,” she says, adding that she wants to build a positive kitchen environment to work in. “And I’m excited for that.”

North South Baking Company, 39 W. Pike St., Covington, northsouthbaking.com.

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WWW.CITYBEAT.COM

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DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

MUSIC

Andrew Gabbard P H O T O : A N D R E W G A B B A R D. B A N D C A M P. C O M

Andrew Gabbard: Homegrown and ‘Homemade’ The Buffalo Killers and Gabbard Brothers guitarist/ vocalist creates his debut solo album

BY B R I A N BA K E R

W

henever Greater Cincinnati Rock band the Buffalo Killers does press interviews, bassist/ vocalist Zach Gabbard typically takes the lead. But now that guitarist/ vocalist (and Zach’s brother) Andrew Gabbard is set to release his first solo project, Homemade, it’s his turn in the promotional spotlight.

So how does it feel being the carnival barker directing people into your personal Rock & Roll tent?

“It’s cool. I like talking about stuff,” says Andrew with an easy laugh. “It’s nicer when I have my big brother to do all the work, but it’s fun because a lot of this interview stuff is new to me. But you know, if I asked him, he’d probably do it for me. He’d do whatever I needed him to do. He’s a good brother.”

The Gabbards have been making music together since the 1999

formation of Thee Shams, and in every one of their subsequent musical iterations — i.e. the Buffalo Killers and the freshly minted Gabbard Brothers — the songs have always been credited to the Gabbards collectively. Homemade makes a fairly potent case for Andrew being the Pop/Rock influence in the Gabbards’ songwriting equation, so it begs a natural question: Why is this the right time for a solo project?

“I don’t know,” Gabbard says. “I’ve always written and recorded a lot, but I’ve never pursued anything or shopped around to labels. We were working on a different album that was finished, and during the pandemic, I was recording a bunch of songs on a new set-up I’ve got and the primary focus became the newer songs. It just sort of happened.”

“I don’t know if there’s ever a right time, but it just seems to be the time

for it,” he adds. “I’m feeling pretty good about it. I’m ready to release it and see what everybody thinks.”

There’s a good chance listeners will think Homemade is one of the best local albums of the year, and Gabbard’s avowed influences like The Beatles and Beach Boys are in clear evidence.

“Wake Up, Brother,” the album’s lead track, has the pianocentric melancholy of a Brian Wilson lullaby and a lyric that nods serenely to the tumultuous couple of years we’ve all endured (“We are 2021, kiss the one you love if you’re still here/One thing I know moving on, never take another second for granted...”). That’s followed by “Instant Trancer,” a Beatlesque tune that Cincy Rock icon Rob Fetters would be proud to call his own.

“While I was recording this, I had fallen into an annual Beatles obsession, and about the same time, my kids were discovering the Beatles,” Gabbard says. “(The Beatles were an influence) but also the Beach Boys and Neil Young.

Those are some of my favorites. When I was trying to dial things in, I would listen to the White Album and try to pick out how Ringo had his drums. I’ve always wished I could sound cool like that in my recordings, so I do my best.”

Another influence that looms large for Gabbard is slightly more obscure:

Midwest-born/California-based Emitt Rhodes, who was once dubbed “the one-man Beatles” back in the early ‘70s.

Gabbard was clearly drawn to the late Rhodes’ work through their mutual love of the Fab Four, but also because Rhodes was a home-recordist and multi-instrumentalist. Rhodes was the primary influence on the closing track on Homemade, the jaunty and reflective “Promises I’ve Made.”

“I always gravitate toward artists where I think, ‘I could do this. I can hear how he did it,’” Gabbard says of Rhodes. “I really relate to him. That was how the whole album started. On the day he died, I recorded ‘Promises I’ve Made’ and sent it to Terry (Cole) at Colemine Records. That was the first recording I did on my new set-up and it kind of snowballed after that.”

Homemade is being released on Karma Chief, an imprint of Cole’s Colemine Records label, based in Loveland. Cole’s Plaid Room Records store carries a wide variety of local artists’ material, and Zach Gabbard is a frequent visitor to the store on his rounds to restock retailers with the Buffalo Killers catalog. On one such visit, Cole inquired into the brothers’ current activities, specifically what Andrew was working on.

“He told Zach that he really wanted

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The album cover for Homemade P H O T O : A N D R E W G A B B A R D. B A N D C A M P. C O M

to get in touch with me because he liked some of the stuff I had online,” Andrew Gabbard says. “So my brother gave him my number and we just started talking.

He’s a good friend now and, like I said, I’m always writing and recording and whenever I do, I send it to Terry to see what he thinks.”

Like his hero Rhodes, Gabbard created everything for the album on his recently acquired MacBook, playing all the instruments himself other than pedal steel, which was provided by Buffalo Killers guitarist Sven Khans.

Recording at home during the pandemic offered some interesting challenges, which Gabbard cherishes.

“My favorite part of recording is the hidden sounds of my kids yelling at each other or running by the drums while I was recording,” he says. “I recorded this last year, but even now, their voices have changed so it’s a cool little time capsule. I’ve talked about this a bunch, but I feel like your imperfections are your vibe. The more time goes on, the more you like the quirkiness of whatever you did. There’s a few songs where I forgot to take the cover off the mic on the drums, so it sounds a little unique.”

Beyond a few private shows and a release event at Plaid Room in Loveland, Gabbard’s plan is to lay relatively low until everyone can be as safe as possible during the ongoing pandemic.

“I’ve got a band and we’re playing the songs, but we’re strategizing a way to approach it differently for now,” Gabbard says of performing songs from Homemade. “I’m small potatoes. I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or

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put anyone in danger (at a concert).

We’re going to do some stuff and film it, then it will last forever. Eventually, we’ll get back to it when it’s a little more normal feeling.”

There’s a lot in the pipeline until then; the Gabbards and Buffalo Killers drummer Joey Sebaali have recorded a new album as the Gabbard Brothers — they released a new single titled “Too Much To Feel” last year — which will be released next year. There’s also a Buffalo Killers B-side album in the works, as the brothers contemplate shelving the band name in favor of their new identity. Plus the Gabbards will be hitting the road next summer in their roles as touring musicians for the Black Keys.

Gabbard addresses a number of lyrical subjects on Homemade, including the shameful treatment of Indigenous people in this country (“Red Bear”) and the curtailing of his longtime love of marijuana (“Getting High”). It’s not difficult to find veiled (and not so veiled) references to the pandemic in Homemade, so it’s tempting to think of it as a lockdown album, but Gabbard doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“I think the album would have happened either way,” he says. “The pandemic just kind of sped it up. Some of the subjects may have been different had it not been going on, or maybe so.

Everything happens for a reason, and that’s just what was going on. I just escaped into recording.”

Purchase Andrew Gabbard’s Homemade on Karma Chief Records at andrewgabbard.bandcamp.com.

DECEMBER 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2021

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SPORTSCENTER CROSSWORD

BY B R EN DA N E M M E T T Q U I G L E Y W W W. B R E N DA N E M M E T TQ U I G L E Y.C O M

36. Paycheck deduction that goes towards Medicare

Across 1. Bigger than big

38. Mayhem exemplified

5. Nob Hill squad 13. Sports center 15. Cookie that comes in a gingerbread flavor for the holidays 16. Light carriage 17. Leftovers in a Jamba Juice compost bin 18. Ingredient in some muffins

43. “ZOMG! BEQ just made a grunge reference!”

44. Russian city on the Oka 45. Caustic cleaner 46. Rock group with slash as a member?

48. Gothenburg guy, e.g.

50. “Great British Baking Show” contestant, at times

20. Classic dog name 21. Here, in Amiens

54. Succeed

23. 1954 Bogart role

56. Healthy morsel in breakfast cereal

24. Where you might roast peppers

58. Bêtes noires

28. Crowned?

30. Thing to be sold

60. Prefix used with many schools of thought

31. Group going back to Temple

61. [We’re not sure, check back later]

33. ___ doble

62. It features busy people

34. Intention

65. See 42-Down

26. Winter warmer

1. Meat of the bone

27. Early immunologist ___ von Behring

2. City that’s a 90-minute drive from Buffalo, NY

29. Head in the Tube 32. Having three unequal sides

3. One who grew up making mixtapes

35. Midori in skates

4. “Before I forget ...”

37. Even a little bit

5. Willing to mingle

39. Tropical hardwood of Central America

6. To and ___

40. Doddering fools

7. Comparative word

41. Beginner, in slang

8. Rum brand named after a Cervantes character

42. With 65-Across, musical collaborator with Eric Idle on “The Rutles” and Monty Python

43. Internet problem

49. More like some memes and basements 51. Burmese intoxicant 52. Anita of “La Dolce Vita” 53. Body of water bordered by six countries 55. Clipping caller

47. Is unable to

57. Law that allows access to govt. documents

59. Liquid spill 62. Tillis in the Grand Ole Opry 63. Paul’s “The Shrink Next Door” character

64. Org. that helped popularize abstract art during the cold war

66. Sports league that’s in the center of this puzzle’s theme answers

Down

25. Well organized

22. Raises a fuss

72. Swingers grp. for women

19. It puts PETA in a pet

71. Still-life fruit

10. My Bloody Valentine’s genre

14. “Like that’s going to happen”

9. Completely out of it

12. Homs home: Abbr.

70. 99%, say

68. “The Grapes of Wrath” drifter 69. Burning

39. Grunge outfit

9. Biting snakes

11. First foreign-born player to the NBA Rookie of hte Year

67. Voice in the choir

LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

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