Holiday cheer

As we move into the last full week before Xmas, there is an abundance of ways to get in the holiday spirit! Below are just a few:

• 2009 Holiday Floral Show November 21st through January 3rd
  Krohn Conservatory
  Theme "Lucia's Garden"
  This year, beloved Swedish holiday traditions inspire our holiday floral show. Come learn and enjoy some of those traditions while strolling among drifts of red poinsettias, cyclamen and amaryllis. Our natural holiday tree features hundreds of ornaments handmade by park volunteers, and attractions include an outdoor live nativity scene. We have many special events going on throughout the show - call (513) 352-4080 for more info.
  Holiday Hours:
  Extended Krohn Hours - December 19th-30th, 10am-8pm Outdoor Nativity Scene open from 9am-9pm
  Please note: The Krohn Conservatory will close at 5pm on Friday, December 25th. I heard that on Sunday from 1-3, Santa will be taking time off of his very busy pre-sleigh schedule to visit the show, so if you have kiddos, stop by! Also, the sale of the flowers from this show will take place on Jan 5th, with doors opening @ 10am.
• Shopping and Caroling in the Gateway Quarter - I'm having trouble finding solid info on this, but according to the downtown calendar, there will be extended hours for the Gateway Quarter shops this evening, and members from the Cincinnati Men's Chorus will be serenading shoppers while they scurry about. I believe this goes until 8pm.
• If you miss that, there's always the Sweet Peace Holiday Bake Sale @ Park + Vine - Sweet Peace Bakery will be having a bake sale in Park + Vine on Sat, from 11-4pm. Stop by and have some sweets while you peruse the goods in the store or down the street!
• The Cincinnati Men's Chorus will be busy this weekend, as Saturday and Sunday they will be putting on what sounds to be a really fun chorale concert to get you toe-tapping to holiday tunes. Glorious: Simply stunning holiday music plus - a new mini-musical featuring beloved songs from holiday specials, created as a joint project by Cincinnati Men's Chorus, Turtle Creek Chorale, Heartland Men's Chorus, Seattle Men's Chorus, and the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC. and two new songs from Melissa Etheridge: "Glorious" and "Ring the Bells," accompanied by harp and handbells. Where Harriet Tubman Theater-National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
  Contact 513.542.2626. Tickets are 20$ in advance, 25$ at the door, but if you don't want to spend the dough, you can volunteer and get in free!
• If you are looking for a more traditional holiday chorale setting, on Sunday @ 5pm, Christ Church Cathedral on 4th will be hosting "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols". While I'm not sure what the "festival of nine lessons" is, I'm always down with holiday tunes in a church where acoustics are usually very good. I wish the website gave more info on what they will be singing, but I'm sure it will be beautiful nonetheless. Where: Christ Church Cathedral 318 E. Fourth St.Cincinnati, OH 45202

If you have kiddos to entertain (or if you are just a kid at heart), here are a few things not to be missed:

1. Just on 4th street you will find the Duke Holiday Train Display featuring 1,000 feet of track and 300 miniature train cars. Theme: Dreaming of Sugar Plums, Lollipops and Gingerbread on 4th. Its on the 1st floor, you can see it from the outside, and its really pretty neat. They spend months putting this thing together, so its the real deal. Best part, its free! From Duke "Train display featuring 1,000 feet of track and 300 miniature train cars. Theme: Dreaming of Sugar Plums, Lollipops and Gingerbread."
2. Walk one block over to Fountain Square, and you are smack dab in the heart of all the holiday events downtown. You have ice skating (Santa will be out there Sat 12-1 and Sun 1-2 if the kids want to put in another plug for their holiday gifts.) Skate rental is $2.50, and there are warming tents and hot drinks available. Friday and Saturday nights there are some fireworks, and between 6-7 Santa rappels down the side of the 5/3 Building, but not before you get some holiday choir music at 6. I think Santa is not allowed to appear unless the crowd is singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", so be ready to belt it out! You can also hop on the "Holiday Jolly Trolley" (10am-6pm) outside of the Westin Hotel, ride around downtown and it stops at all the major holiday attractions. The paid carriage rides will also be available if its too crowded or if you want a more intimate ride.
3. Giant Gingerbread display in the lobby of the Hilton Netherland Plaza. After you get good n chilly from doing Fountain Square activities, grab a quick cup of hot chocolate or coffee @ Tazza Mia then walk up to the BEAUTIFUL lobby of this old hotel and enjoy the Gingerbread artistry on display. On a side note, as previously noted, the restaurant in the lobby, Orchids Palm Court has a GREAT happy hour if you are able to go have a drink. If you are looking for a quieter locale, you can also head over to the Hyatt to see a holiday gingerbread display AND train display in one place. Its free.

- If you'd rather not be out in the cold at all, there are still plenty of good options to get in the holiday spirit.

1. Don't forget the Newport Aquarium has Scuba Santa (he hangs with the sharks!) daily - not sure on the times of Santa's appearance, but I'm sure squealing of children will alert you to his appearance. Admission is 20$ for adults, 13$ for kids 2-12.
2. The Museum Center has a toy exhibit that is free (!) and is open 7 days a week, so you can go there, be wowed first by the rotunda and then check out their "Toys Thru Time" exhibit where they will have toys from the 1800s to present. Will a Furbie make it in? Go and find out! Parking will cost you, but I'd say its probably worth it. Now open through January 3, 2010 John A. Ruthven Exhibit Gallery
3. There is also a holiday pj party on Sunday (12/20) if you can get your info to them in time: North Pole Pajama Party December 20 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
   We are throwing a North Pole Pajama Party and you're invited! Wear your favorite PJS and drink hot chocolate, decorate sugar cookies, create fun crafts, enjoy holiday inspired performances and an elfin DJ spinning holiday tunes. Get out on the dance floor with the elves and Mr. and Mrs. Claus! Make your reservation by December 17 by calling (513) 287-7021. $20 member child, $25 non-member child, $10 adult

Finally, don't forget about all the great holiday season shows or shows that are just plain fun!

• Miracle on 34th St - Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 19$-21$. 241-6550
• Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Know Theatre, 15$ for adults, 12$ in advance. 300-5669
• The Santaland Diaries (for adults), Columbia Performance Center, 12-20$. 888-588-0137
• A Christmas Carol, Playhouse in the Park, 25$-67$, 421-3888
• Once Upon a Mattress, Aronoff Center 20-25$, 621-2787
• The Taming of the Shrew, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 20$-26$. 381-2273

New Busken Bakery Downtown

Hopefully this place will eventually have weekend hours - I'm still going to prefer Shadau Breads to Busken, but its still good to see another business open downtown. The 9th street location was TERRIBLE.
From the Cincinnati Business Courier:

Busken opened a new downtown location today at Walnut and Seventh in a space owned by the Aronoff Center for the Arts.
This marks the fifth time the bakery has opened a store downtown.
“If we could survive the downtown business climate following the 2001 riots, I knew things couldn’t get much worse,” said Vice President Brian Busken in a news release. “It would be foolish to leave now, there is too much positive momentum and our city center is slowly but surely becoming a destination.”
The store, which has access to the Aronoff Center’s commercial kitchen, will focus on growing the bakery’s breakfast and lunch catering business. The catering, which is available to any downtown business 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, was previously operated out of Busken’s Ninth and Central location, which closed in preparation for the opening of the new store.

Main Street Holiday Stroll & Shop + more!

I'm out of town this weekend, so I'm going to miss out on a lot of great stuff to get me in the holiday mood, but hopefully the turn out will be great to all these events. If i get back early, I'm definitely checking out some of these Sunday holiday arts sales!
- Main Street Holiday Stroll & Shop, 12/5 (11-7) + 12/6 (12-5): Main Street in OTR keeps the foot traffic high during the summers with the "Second Sunday on Main" events, but this is a new one for the holidays. All of the stores and galleries will be open during these times, and will be happy to sell their goods or just get the foot traffic up in their stores. Be sure to stop by Iris Bookcafe and have a hot cup of something to ward off the chills!
- Here's to Our Health Happy Hour, 12/3 (tonite!) 5:30-8:00 PM @ ART BEYOND BOUNDARIES GALLERY, 1410 MAIN STREET in OTR. This is a partnering between Community Shares and YP Cincy, so there should be a great mixture of folks there. Basically its an event to raise awareness about the healthcare groups that Community Shares supports in the area. There is a 5$ suggested donation @ the door for wine and snacks. Here's a little blurb on what each of these organizations does: Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati is a partnership of 27 local nonprofit organizations building social and economic equity and a healthy environment in Greater Cincinnati. YPShares is for young professionals and others who strive to engage and inspire the next generation of community supporters to become passionately committed to causes that promote social and economic equity and a healthy environment.
- 7th Annual St Nick Day Sale 12/5 10-2 @ Peaslee Neighborhood Center (215 E. 14th St Cincinnati, OH ). There will be Syracuse Cultural Worker items, Equal Exchange coffee, tea, hot cocoa; Divine Chocolate; international art and crafts from Ecuador, Ghana, Madagascar, El Salvador and more; local artist Mary Ann Lederer’s art, local authors and more. This sale benefits the IJPC(Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center) - more info on them can be found at: http://www.ijpc-cincinnati.org/
- Gifts That Make a Difference Sarah Center, 1600 Vine St., OTR 8am-6pm, 12/3-12/5 - Shop for jewelry, bags, wall hangings, quilts, and tableware, and support a great cause. The Sarah Center is an outreach ministry of St. Francis Seraph that teaches women how to sew, quilt, paint, enamel and make jewelry. Its across the street from St Fracis Seraph church.

Events for Nov 20-22 weekend

Wow, there are a lot of great arts/crafts/holiday-ish events going on this weekend! Here are a few highlights i want to share:
Friday Nov 20 - So many art openings/benefits!
- Secret Artworks 6-9 Westin Hotel - i went to this a few years ago and the ticket price (and food offerings) have vastly increased since then, but it was a pretty cool event nonetheless. If you have some serious coin to drop, its for a good cause. Its an exhibition and sale of 5x7 inch pieces of artwork that you buy and you don't find out who the artist is until after the sale is over. I went to a similar event in Rochester that a friend of mine was in and at both shows i really enjoyed the vast array of style and ability contained in each show. 100$/person in advance, 125 at the door - benefits Artworks. http://www.artworkscincinnati.org/.
- Inkbleeds II: The Art of the Screenprint 5-9pm this opening is at the Art Academy's Pearlman Gallery and will feather posters from the rock scene from various area print makers including Powerhouse Factories which i have always heard does good work. A friend of mine is a print maker currently, so to get to know how the process works would be an excellent way to spend a Friday night for me. Ph #562-6262 The after party will be @ below Zero Lounge @ 10pm, and it should make for an interesting crowd b/c of the following event.....
- Gay BINGO @ Below Zero Lounge 6:30-10pm. Be there for all of the crazy fun, the outrageous costumes, the fabulous prizes and totally unconventional bingo games. Plus you will be supporting the Ensemble Theatre and STOP AIDS. 20$/person. http://www.belowzerolounge.com/cal.html
- Fabricate Grand Opening (inside of Red Polly) in Northside 7-11pm - full disclosure: this is actually a place a former coworker of mine is opening up. That being said, I'm a crafty person who's not all that talented and this really appeals to me. In addition to the store opening, there is an art exhibit that is up by Chris Salley and there will be great music as well as food and drink. The long term goal for this place is to be a place for crafters to show/sell their work, pick up supplies and have a general space to gather and craft. http://www.fabnorthside.com/

Saturday Nov 21 - get into the holiday spirit!
- BuyCincy's Cincinnati Unchained, is 11-6pm More than 30 stores citywide are offering deals, gifts and charitable donations during this annual campaign that highlights locally-owned businesses.
- Balluminaria @ Eden Park (at Mirror Lake) 4-6pm - There will be a bunch of tethered hot air balloons that will ring the "lake" that will be lit up as the light fades. The pictures I've seen of this event are amazing, and i think its supposed to be dry on that day. There will also be carollers and a Santa visit for those of you who go with kiddies. I personally have never been up close and personal with hot air balloons, so this sounds awesome. Parking will likely be short, so be prepared to walk, bike or take the bus.
- Winter Floral Show - A Swedish Holiday @ Krohns Conservatory 10-5pm - This will feature all sorts of lovely flowers, a beautiful Xmas tree and a train and Cincy landmark display. They used to get Wifi there too so if you want to cruise the net, have a coffee and read the paper, its a lovely place to do so. This place is open 7 days/week, so find an off time and go see the show!
- Indie Craft Show @ Northside Tavern 12-6pm - this is the first year for this show, and were my skills more up to par i would have totally submitted work to it. That being said, i hope this is a monstrous success so they have more! There will be crafts for sale (duh) by 20 vendors, gelato and music to keep the creative vibe going. http://craftysupermarket.wordpress.com/
- Chef Rob's Cooking class @ Kroger Fresh Fare in Kenwood 1pm - with all the great cooking classes being offered lately, the ones which are FREE are sometimes given short shrift. Not here, especially in these kind of times! This class is focused mostly on Thanksgiving food - turkey, sweet potatoes, gingered carrot salad and angel food cake with ganache and berries (YUM). You have to call to register though. 686-7900.
- Xmas @ Xmas (sorta) @ Below Zero 8-11 - alright so i already mentioned stuff going on at this place before, but damn if they don't have good planners! (Seriously, they have an event weekly for Glee!) Anyway this is another benefit, this time for the Cincinnati Men's Chorus, who incidentally are very good. They will have holiday music being performed cabaret style and it will be hosted by Penny Tration (a fabulously hilarious drag queen). Is it ever really too early to start the holiday singing? http://www.belowzerolounge.com/cal.html
Sunday Nov 22 - ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Rest, relax and root on the Bengals. WHO DEY!

Upcoming events 11/13-11/15

With the weather starting to cool off, there are a lot of things going on this weekend (indoors) that will keep folks in the area active!

1. Kristen Chenoweth @ Music Hall - what can i say about her? I loved her in "Pushing Daisies" and LOVED Wicked, so its a no-brainer that her show with the CSO this weekend would appeal! There are shows @ 8pm Friday and Saturday night, and an afternoon one on Sunday (maybe another one on Sat?) and tickets are really reasonable. You get to hear her do some standard broadway tunes and they do promote the fact that she will be doing one or two songs from Wicked. Tix are anywhere from 20$ and up. Sold!

2. MUSE Concert - $15 Saturday 8pm or Sunday at 3pm @ St John's Unitarian Church in Clifton. I have not heard MUSE sing before, but from what I've been told, they are very powerful concerts. For the most part, the song list is nothing I've heard before, but it all seems to be centered around peace, justice and the celebration of women.

3. White Christmas @ the Aronoff - it still seems a bit early for this kind of stuff, but i guess its never too soon to get in the holiday spirit! Tix vary from 24.50 to 64$, but reviews are already very positive for the show. The show runs through 11/22 which i find somewhat odd, but maybe they'll have another holiday-ish show after that. (Technically, this show starts its run tonight.)

4. Bad Veins and You, You're Awesome @ Aliveone in Mt Adams- I've been jonesing to see Bad Veins, especially after all the press they've been given and here's a chance. Though i won't personally be going to this show (hate the parking in Mt Adams and Alive One seems like a VERY claustrophobic venue to play), I'm sure it will be a good one. they start @ 11pm and will be including some DJ's, so I'm not really sure what time either band will begin to play. Since they're only open until 2:30, hopefully people are punctual!

5. Moerlein Keg Tapping Friday @ the Cincinnati Central Turners Club House - festivities start @ 4pm, and the tapping is at 7. They will be tapping the keg for the Moerlein Kristalkindt Winter Warm Ale and admission is free. Not sure what the beer itself will cost, but it sounds like the place is kind of cool, and never having been to a proper keg tapping (aside from in college) it may be a novel experience. It sounds like the location is pretty cool and parking is available (also for free). More info here: http://www.gacl.org/gaclhot.html

6. Organ recital @ Christ Church - Sunday @ 5 Bryan Mock will present an organ recital in Christ Church Cathedral's glorious acoustic space. The concert is part of a series of organ recitals offered at the Cathedral on the third Sunday of each month, October through May. Admission is free. I personally think of the Simpsons episode when the church organist plays "In the Garden of Eden", but i'm not opposed to free concerts played with interesting instruments. The Cathedral is located at 318 East Fourth Street. For more information call (513) 621-1817.

Crawl of the Dead

A friend of mine just told me about this GREAT event going on in Covington on Halloween. There are a lot of cool costume parties around town tonight and tomorrow, but this one gets mad points for creativity. Info below from WCPO.com and the following link takes you to the official site http://www.crawlofthedead.com/crawls/info/covington_zombie_crawl:


Zombie Crawl Unleashes The Undead

COVINGTON, Ky. – City will be taken over with the living dead.Imagine one part performance art, one part party and two parts B-movie Bash and there who have yourself the Zombie Crawl on Saturday, Oct. 31.

The City of Covington is heading up the event and it begins at Molly Malone's, making it's way through various bars in Covington and then ends up at Leapin Lizard around 9 p.m. Beginning at Molly Malone's 112 E. Fourth St., meet at 6 p.m., enjoy Malone's until 7 p.m. then roll out for an entire evening of “Undead” entertainment in Covington's most Zombie-friendly venues. 2nd venue - Down under Bar, 126 Park Place - Zombie Haiku Reading. They supply the Haiku (or write your own), you supply the reading. 3rd stop - Sidebar, 322 Greenup St. - Zombie Band (details to come) and a Zombie Drink special.4th up - The Avenue, 411 Madison Ave. - Take part in a “Thriller” Dance and take in Billy Tackett's phenomenal artwork.Grand finale - the longest haul of the evening … a push up through the center of Mainstrasse. We'll be headed to Leaping Lizard to party through the night at their Zombie Party and B-Movie Bash.

Costumes are encouraged but not required, however, the event is free for those in costumes. There will be costume contests and zombie attacks throughout the night. Admission is $5 for those without costumes. The event will include a DJ and dancing all night long, zombie drink specials and spooky cocktails. Party goes until 1 a.m. with two floors and two full bars.


IF YOU GO:When: Oct. 31, at 6 p.m.What: B-Movie Bash Halloween Party/Zombie CrawlStart: Molly Malone's at 112 E. Fourth St.Finale: Leapin Lizard at 726 Main St.

hold on to your pumpkins after 10/31!

4th Annual Pumpkin Chuck Saturday, Nov. 7th
Stanbery Park 12-5pm Rain or Shine The Stanbery Park Advisory Council proudly presents its annual pumpkin hurling event. Bring your own pumpkin to chuck on their famous Trebuchet (cost: $2 per chuck) or buy a doomed pumpkin from their patch (cost: $5 per chuck). Please note - the SPAC reserves the right to limit the weight and size of the pumpkins to chuck. Come watch the orange orbs fly, kerplunk, and splat, and chat with the gorgeous Pumpkin Queen. Enjoy home-baked goodies, gourmet cakes, pies and other luscious culinary delights; hot and cold drinks; live music; face painting and more. For additional information, contact Margaret M. Stigler at (513) 236-5467.