CINCINNATI — Catch a breath of fresh air, listen as the region's best choirs and chorus raise their voices in song and find your new favorite brew during these weekend events.
COMMUNITY
OTR 5K and Summer Celebration: 4-10 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. No admission; $40 5K Run/Walk; $10 OTR Kids Race. Celebrate the approach of summer with the 13th annual OTR 5K celebration in Over-the-Rhine this weekend. Festivities will begin Friday afternoon with Art on Vine's vendor fair in Washington Park. Saturday's fun will begin with the start of the OTR 5K Run/Walk at 9 a.m., followed by the OTR Kids' Race at 10:30 a.m. There also will be live entertainment and the first City Flea urban flea market of 2019 at Washington Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.otrchamber.com
One World Cincy: 7-10 p.m. Friday. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. Free. One World Cincy is part of the Spring Concert Series at Fountain Square. This free event will include a diverse representation of the music, food and dance of various cultures found in Cincinnati. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Shine a Light NF Walk: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Corwin M. Nixon Park, 6249 Mason-Montgomery Road, Mason. Start your weekend the right way -- by walking and raising money for a good cause. The Shine a Light neurofibromatosis (NF) Walk taking place Saturday in Mason is part of a national fundraising program to raises awareness and supports NF research. Onsite check in opens at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch, a raffle and family fun activities. Registration for the walk is required. www.shinealightwalk.org
Anderson Urban Farm "Seed Bash": 4-7 p.m. Sunday. Anderson Urban Farm, 2550 Bartels Road, Anderson Township. Free. The Anderson Township Historical Society is celebrating the grand opening of its historic Anderson Urban Farm with a "Seed Bash" on Sunday. Guests will be able to take free tours of the farm's barn and property, view and rent garden plots, participate in pioneer games, take a wagon ride pulled by local horses, interact with educational booths, listen to live music and purchase food from the Eli’s BBQ food truck. Local bands Clough Valley Boys and Blu Million will perform. andersonurbanfarm.com
FOOD & DRINK
TMNT Patio Movies + Pizza Party: 6-10 p.m. Thursday. The Video Archive, 965 E. McMillan Ave., Walnut Hills. Free. Ages 21 and older. Brush up on your "Ninja Rap" skills and come dressed for the Video Archive's screening of the original live-action "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." The Walnut Hills cocktail bar will serve free pizza and offer TMNT-themed cocktails while the kitschy 1990 film plays at the bar's outdoor patio. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Bacchanalian Spring Gathering: 7-10 p.m. Thursday. Ault Park, 5090 Observatory Circle, Mount Lookout. $20 presale; $25 at the door. The Bacchanalian Society will hold its first event of 2019 Thursday evening at Ault Park. The featured varietal for the evening's wine tasting will be rosé. All ticket sales from the event will benefit the Ault Park Advisory Council, the group that keeps Ault Park beautiful. Jon Jon from Q102 will provide entertainment. bacchanaliansociety.com
10th annual Breakfast on the Bridge: 7-9 a.m. Friday. Purple People Bridge, 1 Levee Way, Newport. Put on your bike helmet, leave home early and take a detour to the Purple People Bridge on Friday morning to celebrate National Bike to Work Day. Dozens of local restaurants and food vendors will line the bridge serving free coffee and breakfast. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Battle of the Brews: 7-11 p.m. Friday. Coney Island Amusement Park, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $12. Are you ready to rumble? Coney Island Amusement Park will host a "Battle of the Brews" on Friday evening. The event is both a craft beer tasting and competition between the breweries involved. Battle of the Brews also will bring together craft beer, live music, food and games in historic Moonlite Gardens. The cost of admission includes five tastings and a souvenir tasting glass. Additional tastings and full beers will be available for purchase. coneyislandpark.com
Buckeye BBQ Fest: 5-11 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday; The Square at Union Centre, 9285 Centre Pointe Drive, West Chester. Free admission. One of West Chester's largest annual events returns to the Square at Union Centre this weekend. The Buckeye BBQ Fest will feature live entertainment, 99 kegs of beer (including local microbrews), 15 barbecue vendors, sweet treats and a kids zone with inflatable bouncy rides. Chairs are welcome and admission is free. buckeyebbqfest.org
Herb & Thelma’s 80th Anniversary: 4-9 p.m. Saturday. Herb & Thelma's Tavern, 718 Pike St., Covington. Free. What's more American or timeless than a good hamburger and a cold beer? Ownership might have changed a few times at Herb & Thelma's Tavern, but the bar's recipe for success hasn't in the past 80 years. The tavern's current owners will serve classic Schoenling lager beer (just like Herb did) and burgers at a special block party Saturday celebrating Covington's iconic eatery. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
MUSIC, THE ARTS & MORE
In Her Voice Concert feat Tank & the Bangas: 7-11 p.m. Thursday. The Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. $15. "In Her Voice" is a one-night concert celebrating the power of black women through performance and poetry at the Woodward Theater. Tank and the Bangas will headline the evening, which also will include performances by Lauren Eylise, Jennifer Simone, MC Jori An and DJ Apryl Reign. "In Her Voice" is a part of the 2019 Underworld Jazz Festival. Now in its second year, the festival, which began May 11, recognizes the history of jazz as social music by bringing local, national and international artists to perform at various venues in Cincinnati. The festival continues through May 25. www.osnronin.com
'My Brother, My Brother and Me': 7 p.m. Thursday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $42.50. Got questions? Chances are Justin, Travis and Giffin McElroy have answers. The brothers are coming to the Taft Theatre for a live episode of their podcast, "My Brother, My Brother and Me." The podcast is touted as "an advice show for the modern era." The McElroy brothers will take audience questions and dispense wisdom during their visit. "My Brother, My Brother and Me" has been launched as an online streaming series and is currently available on most popular podcast streaming apps. tafttheatre.org
Rascal Flatts' Summer Playlist Tour 2019: 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $34-$93.75. Country crooners Rascal Flatts will perform at Riverbend with special guests Billy Currington, Jimmie Allen and Verbal Ase on Thursday. Riverbend is offering a $102 lawn four-pack special for this show. www.riverbend.org
Summer Concert Series at Sawyer Point: 6-10 p.m. Friday. Sawyer Point, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Free. Cincinnati Parks, in partnership with Park Advisory Councils and Community Councils, will kick off the first of eight, free concerts at Sawyer Point on Friday. The first show will feature the Comet Bluegrass All Stars and Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Red Door Project May Show: 6-9:30 p.m. Friday. Corner of 15th and Republic Streets, 14 W. 15th St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. The theme of this month's Red Door Project pop-up art gallery is a celebration of Bike Month. Project organizers asked local artists to submit work inspired by the word "pedal" for this single-evening event. Visitors will be able to bid on individual pieces on display. Red Bike Cincinnati is also a partner of May's Red Door Project. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
May Festival: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $15-$99. The May Festival will take over Music Hall this weekend with three unique chorus performances. Conductor Juanjo Mena, the Roomful of Teeth vocal ensemble, baritone Rod Gilfry, the May Festival Chorus and director Robert Porco, and with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will perform Brahms' "Schicksalslied," Vaughn Williams' "Toward the Unknown Region" and Mark Simpson's "The Immortal" on Friday. The May Festival Chorus and Porco, along with conductor Sir James MacMillan, soprano Lauren Michelle and the CSO, will then perform Poulenc's "Gloria" and MacMillan's "Seven Last Words from the Cross" on Saturday. The weekend will conclude with performances by the May Festival Community Chorus, alongside church and community choirs from around the region. mayfestival.com
MUSE 36th Annual Spring Concert: 2-7 p.m. Saturday. House of Joy, 3220 Central Parkway, Clifton. $20 adults; $17 students and seniors; $10 children; $10 sponsored. For 36 years, MUSE, Cincinnati's Women's Choir has stood strong in its commitment to social justice, musical excellence and programs that promote and inspire change and empowerment within and around our community. For this year's spring concert, MUSE is dedicated to uplifting and speaking life and power to all women. The concert will pay homage to the boisterous voices of women through its aptly titled "We Don't Stop" performance that will include arrangements of Beyonce Knowles' "I Was Here" and "I'm Every Woman," composed by Chaka Khan and covered by the late Whitney Houston. www.musechoir.org
Steve Chuke’s "Tribute to Elvis and Rock ‘n’ Roll": 8 p.m. Saturday. Coney Island Amusement Park, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $25. Bring your blue suede shoes and get ready for fun during this Elvis tribute with DJ Mark Elliott and Steve Chuke. You'll be able to dance with Chuke for donations to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. The event also will include performances by Jeannie Marie and Marilyn Sparks from “The Avenues.” Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the show will begin at 8 p.m. Cash bar and food will be available. coneyislandpark.com
