Downtown and Over-the-Rhine Events
Sept. 7 – Sept. 9, 2018
For more events, visit www.downtowncincinnati.com
Oktoberfest 2018
Friday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m.
Washington Platform, 1000 Elm St.
Washington Platform kicks off the Oktoberfest season with a special menu starting today.
Along with all your favorite menu items, you’ll find German specials including Auster Mit Spaetzle (dumplings with onions and fried oysters), Smoked Salmon Potato Pancakes, Schweinerschnitzle (pan-fried pork cutlet with cream gravy, spaetzle, smoked salmon potato pancake, and potato leek soup) and Pumpkin Der Funken (funnel cake fried schnecken with pumpkin mousse, caramel sauce, and whipped cream).
Rüya Coffee Grand Opening
Friday, Sept. 7, 6 – 9pm
Rüya Coffee, 1805 Elm Street
ruyacoffee.com/event-calendar/2018/9/8/opening-night
The grand opening celebration at Rüya is a night you will not want to miss! They will demonstrate the Turkish coffee brewing method while enjoying tea and coffee cocktails, Mediterranean bites, and Turkish music.
Sharing a warm cup of coffee or a pastry is that rare communal activity that transcends culture and experience. Melissa Aydogan is fostering this universal activity at Rüya, her Turkish pop-up coffeehouse, which is bringing the centuries-old Turkish coffee tradition to Cincinnati for the first time. Besides the coffee, Rüya will host events, performances, and discussions from creatives across all cultures defying the odds in America. Rüya will be open from Sept. 7 through Nov. 18, across from Findlay Market.
Star Wars: A New Hope Film with Orchestra
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 7 & 8, 7 p.m.
Sunday Sept. 9, 2 p.m.
Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm St.
The Cincinnati Pops will perform John Williams’ unforgettable score as Luke, Leia, Han and the rest of the beloved characters battle the Empire on the big screen above the stage.
Nearly 40 years ago Star Wars: A New Hope changed the face of cinema and our culture, inspiring audiences around the world. Now it is coming to Music Hall! Experience the film that started it all like never before.
The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra will present the Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert featuring screenings of the complete film with Oscar®-winning composer John Williams’ musical score performed live with the film. Since the release of the first Star Wars movie nearly 40 years ago, the Star Wars saga has had a seismic impact on both cinema and culture, inspiring audiences around the world with its mythic storytelling, captivating characters, groundbreaking special effects and iconic musical scores composed by Williams.
Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and 23 Grammy Awards. With 51 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the Academy’s most nominated living person and the second most-nominated individual in history, after Walt Disney. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams’ score to 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to A New Hope also was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry, for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant
Fork & Bottle Dinner with Maker’s Mark
Friday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
Metropole, 609 Walnut St.
Do you love a fine wine? Craft beer? Sipping bourbon? So do we. Join Metropole for Fork + Bottle, a unique dinner series in which we educate, pair, and taste inspired menus by executive chef Jared Bennett with a variety of guest beverage experts.
Join us as Metropole chef Jared Bennett will join forces with Maker’s Mark for a Fork & Bottle dinner. The evening will begin with canapés at 7pm, followed by a four-course dinner with bourbon and bourbon cocktail pairings. Along the way, Kentucky Diplomat Jacklyn Evans will provide insights into all things Maker’s Mark. Price is $75 per person.
JOHNNY CAKES
Sorghum butter, grilled scallions, benne seeds
Loretto’s Way – Maker’s Mark, sorghum, lemon
SMOKED DUCK HAM
Charred mushrooms, cherries, rye berries
Red Winter – Maker’s 46, cola, cherry bitters, orange bitters
MARKSBURY FARMS CHICKEN ROULADE
Chestnut puree, crispy kale, pickled plums
The Printing Press – Maker’s Mark Private Select, plum, Cardamaro
SMOKED PECAN PIE
Charred pears
Spiced Pear Cordial made with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Artist Talk: They Knew Not My Name, and I Knew Not Their Faces
Friday, Sept. 7, 7 – 9pm
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Co., Main Library, 800 Vine St.
www.cincinnatilibrary.org/programs/exhibits.html
Attend an opening reception and artist talk for They Knew Not My Name, and I Knew Not Their Faces, a series of black-and-white photographic portraits by Michael Wilson made across a wide cross-section of Cincinnati neighborhoods. The photographs were made in a portable studio, eliminating reference to place and simplifying the visual elements of the picture to the subject’s face, clothing, and gesture. The portable studio was set up in neighborhoods across Cincinnati and Hamilton County, in most cases outside of various branches of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. The reception will be held at the Main Library on the Second Floor Connector. No registration is required.
See the people of Cincinnati through the lens of local photographer Michael Wilson in his exhibit, also part of the FotoFocus 2018 event, on display Sept. 7–Dec. 31 at the Main Library. Smaller satellite exhibits will also be on display at the branch libraries where those particular portraits were made: College Hill, Forest Park, Green Township, Greenhills, Groesbeck, Harrison, Mariemont, Norwood, Reading and Walnut Hills.
Wilson’s black-and-white portraits were made in a portable studio, eliminating reference to place and simplifying the visual elements of the picture to the subject’s face, clothing, and gesture. The portable studio was set up in neighborhoods across Cincinnati and Hamilton County, in most cases outside of various branches of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Support for this FotoFocus Biennial 2018 exhibition was provided by Fotofocus. A book accompanies the exhibition with supporting text by acclaimed writer R.J. Smith.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Friday, Sept. 7, 7:30pm
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Otto M. Budig Theatre, 1195 Elm St.
cincyshakes.com/on-stage/forum/
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company may be celebrating its 25th anniversary, but it is still breaking new ground as a company! In its second year at The Otto M. Budig Theater in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati’s home for the classics is turning to a new genre of classics: the classic musical. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, will be directed by CSC’s Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips and features longtime ensemble member Matthew Lewis Johnson in the principal role. The production is generously sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and Construction Process Solutions Limited.
Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a story of shenanigans, hijinks, and tomfoolery as a lowly servant endeavors to scheme his way to freedom in this antic romp through Rome with desperate lovers, scheming neighbors, and scandalous secrets under every toga. Broadway’s big, fat, Roman musical will have audiences dancing in the aisles at the brand new Otto M. Budig Theater with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville!
The production will bring a original and colorful “Vegas” influence to the Roman show setting, with outrageous costumes, sets, and lighting! The creative team includes Scenic Designer Shannon Robert who has designed a colorful Vegas-inspired Roman neighborhood; Costume Designer Brian Horton, who is incorporating colorful and risqué pieces into the shows dozens of characters; Lighting Design by Adam Zeek and Sound Design by Douglas J. Borntrager to round out the talented team.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs through Sept. 29.
Fly By Night
Friday, Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine Street
www.ensemblecincinnati.org/shows/fly-by-night
Grab your guitars and look to the stars! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati begins its 2018-2019 Season with the charming regional premiere of Fly By Night written by Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, and Michael Mitnick. This enchanting musical sparkles with humor and heart as two sisters follow their stars to New York City’s stage and food service industry where the light of love leads to unexpected discoveries about fate and fortune.
In this darkly comic rock-fable, a gypsy prophecy propels melancholy sandwich-maker Harold and two bewitching sisters through a star-crossed journey of love and connection. Featuring a catchy score and inventive story-telling, this sweeping ode to young love culminates during the Northeast blackout of 1965 and is a tale about finding light in a world beset by darkness.
Continues through Sept. 29.
Funk Radio with Freekbass
Friday, Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
Lucius Q, 1131 Broadway
luciusq.com/new-events/2018/9/7/funky-friday-with-freekbass
WNKU may be gone, but Funky Friday lives on! The show that brought the funk to WNKU in early 2016 can now be heard as "Funk Radio with Freekbass" on Radio Artifact every Friday night from 6 – 9 p.m., and just like WNKU took the show to the street at the 21c Museum Hotel, Funk Radio is now coming live to the Q! Join Freekbass and Chris D as they spin classic and modern funk live and in person. It’s gonna be...Funky. Seriously.
Raquel Andre: Collection of Lovers
Friday, Sept. 7, 8 – 9 p.m.
Contemporary Arts Center, 44 East 6th St.
contemporaryartscenter.org/calendar/2018/09/06/raquel-andr-collection-of-lovers
Raquel André is a collector of rare things.
Throughout Portugal, Brazil, and Norway, she has “collected” over 160 meetings. People of all nationalities, genders and ages have agreed to meet her at someone’s flat and, for an hour, construct a fictional intimacy to be captured in memory and photographs.
Wherever the performance travels, it collects more lovers and accumulates new meetings. The photographs and details of these meetings are the contents of a performance that tells a story about what this collection of relationships may mean. Just what are we looking for when we meet someone? In the age of e-mail, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, and Grindr, have we all become experts at faking intimacy?
Collection of Lovers is the result of Raquel’s obsessive fascination with the terabytes of information that exist in each minuscule movement of another person. It is a reflection on intimacy that is explored one- to-one and constructed for the stage, all real and all fake. Each time the door opens for a new lover, Raquel André dives into an abyss that is the other, and reality and fiction merge. Each encounter is real. The flirtation is real. The intimacy may feel more real than fiction. And Raquel, the obsessive collector, holds on to the moments of each meeting, the rare objects of her peculiar collection, ephemeral and infinite.
National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk
Saturday, Sept. 8, 9 – 11:30 a.m.
Sawyer Point, 705 East Pete Rose Way
www.dsagc.com/events1/buddy-walk/
The Buddy Walk is a short one-mile stroll, starting and finishing on the Sawyer Point Kroger Promenade and heading West through and around Yeatman’s Cove. NEW this year, they are kicking off the walk with a Pre-Party out in Yeatman’s Cove at 9:00 AM. Immediately following the Walk, the After Party begins, including music, activities for all age groups, food and beverages donated by their generous sponsors and more!
As their largest fundraiser of the year, the Buddy Walk provides about 50% of the needed resources for the DSAGC to fulfill its mission. Every day they make meaningful strides to foster inclusion and to celebrate the lives of individuals with Down syndrome. There is no better place to show your support than at Sawyer Point at our Annual Buddy Walk.
Sound Off Rooftop Jazz Dance
Saturday, Sept. 8, 10 – 11 a.m.
The AC Hotel Upper Deck, 135 Joe Nuxhall Way
www.soundoffcincinnati.com/events/
Jazz Dance Class overlooking Cincinnati’s skyline! This high energy class will be led by owner and founder of Beyond Ballet. The class consists of rap, hip-hop and pop sounds, focusing on musicality and rhythm.
You’ll work through a choreographed dance while getting a great workout in!and consists of rap, hip-hop and pop sounds, focusing on musicality and rhythm. Bring your water bottle and get ready to have fun! Admission is $20.
Great American Beer Rush
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Washington Park, 1230 Elm St.
fiftywestbrew.com/event/the-great-american-beer-rush/
Join award-winning breweries Fifty West and Taft’s Ale House for the inaugural Great American Beer Rush! Grab three of your most skillful friends for an “Amazing Race” style bar crawl through downtown. We will take off as a group from Washington Park where the first clue will be distributed. Our lips are sealed about where’ll you’ll go but you can expect a whirlwind of eight physical or mental challenges across the city with a beer mixed in at each stop. The winning team will receive a combined grand prize of goods from each brewery.
Here’s your first pre-event challenge; sign up your team of four before September 7th to participate! $25/person.
This event was born in the spirit of competition after both breweries repeatedly won at the industries biggest stages so combining this idea with collaboration beers was a natural fit. The event will feature two collaboration beers; one from each brewery scattered on tap throughout the course.
Family Art Adventures: Ansel Adams
Saturday, Sept. 8, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art, 316 Pike St.
www.taftmuseum.org/events/lectures
Explore the galleries with your family and make memories at the Taft through this fun and interactive experience. Erin Holland, manager of youth and family programs, will keep the entire family engaged as you observe together the magic in the current exhibition, Ansel Adams: A Photographer’s Evolution.
Hear the story of how 14-year-old Ansel fell in love with photography and became a life-long adventurer! Compare his early prints with later works as we journey through his evolution.
Ansel Adams: A Photographer’s Evolution traces the photographer’s path to his signature style, beginning with rare early works and ending with prints Adams made late in life. In his earliest photographs, made in the 1920s, Adams embraced the prevailing Pictorialist style with intimately sized, soft-focused images. He shifted to sweeping, sharply focused views in the 1930s and ‘40s and to larger images with dramatic contrast after World War II. The exhibition concludes with a selection of late prints Adams made from earlier negatives that he considered some of his greatest works. Through iconic views and lesser-known subjects, Ansel Adams: A Photographer’s Evolution reveals Adams as a poet of light both in the field and in the darkroom.
Learn how photographers visualize a shot before taking it, and practice framing your own photo. Step inside our darkroom replica and discover how to develop a print. Ideal for ages 8+.
Chocolate: The Exhibition Tasting
Saturday, Sept. 8, 12 – 3 p.m.
Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave
Join The Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State in Chocolate: The Exhibition at Cincinnati Museum Center for chocolate tastings with professionals.
Chocolate: The Exhibition tracks the rich history of the cacao bean, from its beginning as a royal — even divine — Maya drink to its current role as a romantic gesture, guilty pleasure and global commodity. Follow the history of chocolate culture and science from the 10th century rainforest to the modern-day corner store.
Few food items are both so historically and gastronomically rich. Vivid environments and imagery, over a hundred exhibited objects and the tantalizing scent of chocolate await to tell this treat’s amazing history.
Explore chocolate’s impact on natural history. Stand beneath a life-size cacao tree in a Mesoamerican rainforest. Learn about the tree’s unusual anatomy and the different products that can be drawn from a single cacao bean (what’s the difference between cocoa and cacao anyway?).
#ChocolateAtCMC is open through January 6, 2019.
The Soul Pocket Band
Saturday, Sept. 8, 7pm – 10pm
Fountain Square, 520 Vine St
myfountainsquare.com/series/fall-music-series-saturday/
Head to Fountain Square for free live music! Sneaky Pete Kurlas presents the Soul Pocket Band featuring the three ladies of Soul Pocket, Victoria Lynch, Dee Marie, and Yolanda Colvin. Soul Pocket includes a three piece brass section…Buzz Traylor on Trumpet, Terry Twitty on Trombone, and Garin Webb on Saxophone; Albert Lee on Percussion; and a super tight Rhythm Section: Kemet on Keyboards, Gary Langford on Guitar, Jerome Day on Bass, and James Reichwein on Drums. The band has been performing in the Cincinnati area for over 20 year, with a high energy mix of Soul, Motown, R&B, Rock and Funk. We are Cincinnati’s favorite Party and Dance band. Soul Pocket is known for its sparkling performances, lots of dancing, and a touch of musical theater.
Sunflower Rev It Up for Parkinson’s
Sunday, Sept. 9, 6 a.m.
Sawyer Point, 705 East Pete Rose Way
The Sunflower Rev It Up is a celebratory event whose mission is to raise funds for Parkinson’s research that can benefit patients regionally, nationally and globally; to promote wellness within the Cincinnati area’s Parkinson’s disease community; and to heighten the public’s awareness of Parkinson’s disease, a progressive and devastating neurological disorder that afflicts 1.5 million Americans and cannot be halted or cured at this time. The Sunflower Rev It Up for Parkinson’s was named and founded by Kathleen Krumme, a Cincinnati cyclist and bicycle shop manager whose father, the late Donald Krumme, suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
A shared project of the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute and the University of Cincinnati Foundation, the Sunflower Rev It Up includes a free educational symposium and expo for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals; and an annual fund-raising walk/run, bike ride and party in beautiful downtown Cincinnati.
Second Sunday on Main: King Records
Sunday, Sept. 9, 12– 5 p.m.
Main Street, between 12th and Liberty
Over-the-Rhine’s oldest street festival is back for its thirteenth year! Re-discover all that Main St. has to offer and come celebrate the heart and soul of OTR with your neighbors, families and friends. Live music, 100+ vendors, food trucks, arts programming and so much more.
Second Sunday on Main is celebrating King Records month with live music by The Comet Blue Grass Allstars and Queen City Kings performing the hits that put legendary King Records on the map! DJ Soul Step from Soul Step Records will be spinning an all-vinyl set and have their entire catalogue available. King Records exhibits by We Have Become Vikings, The Freedom Center, and Nina M Dot’s King Me Project.
Come celebrate the heart and soul of OTR with your family and friends. All your favorite Main St. Merchants will be open, plus 100+ vendors, the Biergarten lounge curated by Queen City Vignette, food trucks and more.
Main Stage, The Comet Blue Grass Allstars and Queen City Kings performing the music that put legendary King Records on the map!
Second Stage programming by Soul Step Records, a vinyl-only independent record label that up fronts all the costs of manufacturing and pressing vinyl for artists.
The beer pour non-profit for this month is the Cincinnati Preservation Collective. All tips go to benefit this great organization.
2018 Downtown Perceptions Survey
Now through Sept. 30
Downtown Cincinnati Inc. wants to know what you think about the Central Business District, The Banks, and Over-the-Rhine. Share your thoughts and offer your feedback through the 2018 Downtown Perceptions Survey. Take this 10-minute survey and you could win a $100 gift card.