Musicians for Luke - Margaret Darling, Serenity Fisher and More!

Local musicians Margaret Darling (of the Seedy Seeds) and Serenity Fisher are teaming up to support Luke Brockmeier.  Tuesday January 31st come to Sitwell's Coffee House at 7PM and hear these talented musicians play.  A suggested donation of $5 is mentioned, but not required.

There are rumors of special guests as well.  To find out who, you'll have to come to Sitwell's.

For more information on the event, check out Facebook.

For more information on Luke Brockmeier, check out www.lukeforohio.com.

TweetUp For Luke Brockmeier Wed 6PM at Baba Budan's

Tomorrow, Wednesday January 18th, Luke Brockmeier, Democratic candidate for the New 31st Ohio House District, is gathering up those in the social media world for a meet and greet to discuss the issues facing the community and Ohio.  The event takes place at Baba Budan's, 239 W. McMillan St., and starts and 6PM and will end around 8PM.  All are welcome.

For more information on the event, check out the Facebook event here:

To learn more about Luke Brockmeier's campaign, go to www.lukeforohio.com.

IRhine's: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas All-Star Cincy Edition

Light Up OTR On Friday At Neon's

Join the neighborhood in celebrating the holidays!

Here's the who-what... on the event:

WHO: Ionic Collective and Peanut Butter Jelly Co. (PB&J) 

WHAT: The 2nd annual Light Up Over-the-Rhine (Light Up OTR) will take place this Friday in Over-The Rhine. Community leaders, residents, young professionals and artists will join together this holiday season to set up over 1000 luminaries framing an 8-block radius from Central Parkway to Liberty Avenue.  The warm glow will symbolize safety, unity, and the coming of the holiday season. A 25-foot tree will be mounted as a permanent holiday fixture at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged. Light Up OTR will benefit the Freestore Foodbank with a $1 entrance fee, or a non-perishable canned good, required for entry.

WHERE: The Famous Neons Unplugged, located at 208 E. 12th Street in Over-The-Rhine, and the outlying Over-The-Rhine area.

WHEN:  Friday December 16, 2011

•  • 7:00 p.m. Volunteers can gather together to assemble luminaries at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged.
•  • 8:00 p.m. Teams will be coordinated to disperse the luminaries throughout the neighborhood.
•  • 10:00 p.m. All volunteers and guests will gather back at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged to gather for the second annual lighting of the OTR Christmas tree.

What Did You Buy Today?

Now, be honest, tell everyone what you purchased today on the holiest of shopping days.

I bought lunch for a couple of friends and that was it. It was at an independent restaurant, to boot.

It was a good day!

It Gets Better: Cincinnati

Improv Dance Party: Only in OTR

I saw the traffic jam and people were talking about this happening  last night while I was at Japps drinking my summer drink of choice, Stiegl-Radler, but in-case you missed it, a flash mob dance party broke out on Main Street. No where in this city can you find the spirit and the courage to push limits, while maintaining a sense of sanity, other than Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. I'm a little old for this type of thing, but I love watching others have fun, break a few 'minor' rules, but cause no harm, other than making an existing traffic jam a little bit worse.

I really hope this spirit stays alive, especially on Final Fridays. We need some action and do-it-yourself culture that everyone can participate in is the way to build a community. A big consideration to go along with that action is to show respect to your neighbors. Based on all of the accounts I have heard, this type of impromptu event did that. I am sure someone will complain, but part of pushing limits is pissing of the assholes who will complain no matter what you do.

Kudos to those who started this and those who joined in.

Vote for OTR! Today!!!

OTR needs your help to win $25,000 for preservation of the neighborhood. Please vote in this survey for each email address you have. The deadline to vote is June 30th (Tomorrow) at 4:59 PM. OTR is barely in 1st Place, but needs your help to stay there. Spread the word and get people to vote today!

Welcome LULAC!

I wish to welcome LULAC (the League of United Latin American Citizens) to Cincinnati this week for their annual convention.

Check out the Convention website and be sure to thank all of the volunteers helping with this event. It is great for Cincinnati to have a group like LULAC hold their national convention here and bring their message to this part of the country. The civil rights for Latinos is a cause that needs much attention in today's America and I am proud of the work they do. I'm also proud to be part Latino, even if I'm only 1/8th.

Covedale Isn't a Seperate Neighborhood

I don't know what is wrong with being part of West Price Hill, but some residents wish to be recognised as a separate neighborhood called Covedale.  They've been denied that recognition by the City Manager.  Except for the ever variable property value game, I don't see any value in the distinction between West Price Hill and Covedale.  I don't know where the Covedale name stems from, but adding it for cosmetic reasons isn't worth the expense to the city.  Furthermore, the implications from a Community Council perspective is more troubling.

Local News at Risk

Jim Hopkins at the Gannettblog had an interesting post recently discussing a study that states that America is facing a "shortage of local, professional accountability reporting."

We don't have enough reporters covering local and state level government. Cincinnati audiences have a handful of reporters covering nearly all of the local governments on a regular basis. Some reporters from TV sometimes will add some coverage of local governments, but nothing consistent.

The cause of this shortage is obviously the debatable issue. People will blame corporations, exclusively, or blame one political party over the other. The group that deserves most of the blame, as I have said often, is the audience.

At this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival an edgy production called Music for Newspapers and Radios illustrated this issue quite well. At one point in the show, four actors read out loud different portions of that day's Cincinnati Enquirer. One person read the sports section out loud. Another read the TV listings, while still another read out the crossword puzzle. The fourth was reading the front page story on the State budget deal.  She was passionate about it and felt the importance of the story and read it louder to the others so they might pay attention.  They were oblivious and stuck to the entertainment they had before them.  As if almost in a trance, they focused on sports, TV, or the crossword and ignored her rising voice issuing a news story that would affect them.  It was important for them to know what it said, but being entertained was more important.  After while the front page news reader tired and just fell asleep with the others.  She gave up.

News outlets have given up trying.  They are giving people what they want and they want to be amused.  They don't care about consuming news that actually will have an impact on their community and would be needed to make choices on who should run the government.  The idea of not having to think and just buying a pre-made idea is so much easier for our mindless consumer and image based society.

Our local news is at risk and when it dies,  neither American Idol or ESPN will carry the story.

Teilen/Rhine Brings Community Together May 1st at MOTR

Tomorrow May 1st a new way to "share yourself" starts off with Teilen at MOTR. The event is the first in series that will travel throughout the area that will invite participants to share their stories. Admission is free and it begins at 6PM at MOTR, located at 1345 Maint Street.

iRhine has more.

OTR Picnic To Benefit Tucker's Shooting Victims Saturday April 30th

The first annual OTR picnic will be held this Saturday (tomorrow April 30th) in St. Francis Seraph’s secret garden (corner of Vine & Liberty) from 1-5pm. Come join us celebrate spring with live music from Robin Lacey & Dezydeco and the Wild Mountain Berries. Food will be provided and drinks will be available to purchase. Organizers will raffle loads of Downtown items thanks to our neighboring retailers and restaurants.

A $10 donation is requested at the door and the event is open to the public. All proceed will go to Carla Tucker and Ronisha Burgin, the two women injured during the shooting at Tucker's Restaurant in January 2011.

Special thanks to the event's partners & contributing parties: Coca-Cola, Christian Moerlein, Arnold’s Bar & Grill, The B-List in Bellevue, KY, Dewey’s Pizza, Dr. Dennis Suggs, Findlay Market,
The Lackman, Lavamatic, Local 127, Madison’s at Findlay, Maumee World Traders, Mica, Milton’s Prospect Hill Tavern, MidPoint Music Festival, Motr Pub, Neon’s Unplugged, Park + Vine, PetWants, Queen City Underground Walking Tours, Rookwood Tile, Segway of Cincinnati, Senate, Shadeau Bread & Shalini Latour.

How Did you Ride Out the Storm?

The warning sirens echoing off buildings woke me up around 1:30 AM this morning and the sights out my window were quite alarming. Seeing rain drops pushed by the brutal wind like blowing snow in a winter blizzard was unsettling even to my usually calm nerves. Other than venturing out to close the hallway window in my building, I stayed in my condo and watched TV for about 20 minutes until things calmed back down.

I was able to get back to sleep rather easily, so my lost period of slumber hopefully won't affect me like those up all night. I predict the line at Coffee Emporium will be out the door this morning.

Damage I hope wasn't too bad for most people. There are reports of chairs been ripped of decks in OTR and many trees were toppled, including this one into a house in Mt. Lookout.

DougScout Washing Cars, But the Know Still Needs Your Support

Support the Know Theatre or DougScout will wash your car!

Happy Arnold's Bar and Grill Day!

Today in the City of Cincinnati it is officially Arnold's Bar and Grill Day! Head to Arnold's to celebrate 150 years of a history, drinks, and great food.

The Enquirer has a look back at Arnold's history through photos. Political events run deep at Arnold's.


If you are interested in more Cincinnati political history, check out Boss Cox's Cincinnati: Urban Politics in the Progressive Era (Urban Life and Urban Landscape Series)

Anniversary of Thomas Shooting and Riots Remembered

Today, April 7, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of the shooting of Timothy Thomas by Stephen Roach, then a Cincinnati Police officer. Thomas was unarmed and fleeing from police when shot. This incident sparked the Riots which began on April 9th after a heated City Council Committee meeting.

Both the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Herald had multiple stories recently remembering what happened 10 years ago and looking forward to where we are now.

From the Enquirer:
Special Section Cincinnati Riots
Changes in policing
A different struggle

From the Herald:
City was in crisis during civil unrest of 2001
How far we’ve come since 2001
Looking back a decade—

I recall how vivid tension that filled the streets was back then. I remember walking Downtown during the day and I could sense the tension. It is a feeling that was likely all in my head since I was following the unfolding events very closely, but it was a feeling I can remember to this day. I don't know if it is because I live in Over-the-Rhine now or that we have changed, but that tension is gone. Many of those at the forefront of the protests have retreated from the public eye or just left town, so I don't know how much that has changed the feel of the city over the last 10 years.

I believe the City and its citizens have changed. That change has been positive. The police have a much improved attitude towards the public, particularly the black community. We have outlets for the citizens to voice their views. We still do have a significant separation between the communities, something we must still work on. Much of that separation is rooted in socio-economic differences, but much of it is culture. The cultures of our city still are very different and don't like to mix. We don't communicate outside of our own culture as often as we could or should. Since the animosity towards the city continues to fester in large sectors of the suburban and exurban areas, we can't afford to not have a wider community in the city working together. I hope we can improve the connections to that macro community for everyone.

From WCPO: A Look at the Arts Ten Years Later

Donate to the Know Theatre Right NOW!

Theatre, as an art form, brings unmeasurable value to a society. Theatre  provides humanity a purpose. That purpose is a journey of discovery to understand what it means to be human. Here in Cincinnati one Theatre company speaks to me more than any on that journey of discovery and that is the Know Theatre.

It takes money to make a theatre work and right now the Know needs your help. Impending budget cuts at the State are going to make it difficult for all arts organizations to make ends meet, and that includes the Know. We must as a community do everything that we can to keep our society on a path of discovery. I've chosen to donate a modest amount to the Know Theatre. I ask that you help out Now as well. Check out the Know's website with the details on how your can give. Remember that any sum can help. $20 goes a long way. $100 can go further.

With the Cincinnati Fringe Festival Coming up in less than two months, your funds will be put to great use to keep the lights on for an organization that is vital to the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and the entire arts community.

Also, be sure to see their latest production, The Dragon.  I got to see it on opening night and was amazed with the work.  The show is a co-production with MadCap Puppets and should not be missed.  It runs through May 7th.

Damon Lynch III's Church to Leave Over-the-Rhine

I find it very surprising that the New Prospect Baptist Church is leaving Over-the-Rhine. I am surprised that Damon Lynch III would do that. From a pure practical perspective, the article lays out a case for the church, which appears to want a more big box church facility. That's not something you would find in OTR. I thought, however, that part of the Church's mission was to reach the trouble youth of the inner-city, which places them right where they need to be. Are they abandoning that mission or are do they see that mission being more of an issue in other neighborhoods in the City? On the other hand are they looking to capitalize on the demand for property in that part of OTR?

I am really not sure what to make of this. What does it say about the neighborhood? We are days away from the 10th anniversary of the killing to Timothy Thomas and the Riots of 2001 and a church that was at the epicenter of those events announces they are leaving the neighborhood. The neighborhood is on the upward rise. I want to live in a diverse neighborhood, and New Prospect leaving makes it less diverse. Or does it? As the article points out, most of the people going to the church don't live in OTR, so does this really affect much at all?