Gumption Awards Honor Cincinnatians For Progress on June 23rd

Head to OTR Venue 222 on June 23rd to honor Bobby Maly, Rob Richardson, Jr. and Joe Sprengard from Cincinnatians for Progress who are being awarded the Charles P. Taft Civic Gumption Award.  Information on tickets is Here.

Jack Kerouac's On the Road to CAM

The Cincinnati Art Museum brings On the Road to life with a full reading of the Jack Kerouac masterpiece. Local celebrities, actors, and Art Museum staff will read the Kerouac signature work from 11 AM to 5 PM on Saturday June 19th. Admission is free!

This event is part of the See America program:

Now through summer’s end, the Art Museum is presenting a series of exhibitions, installations, performances, and special events for visitors of all ages. Think of it as taking a visual road trip through the human and natural landscapes of this great country. The journey we’ve planned will take you and your family through art from all over this country, with an emphasis on the art of the Cincinnati area. You’ll find something new going on every week, so keep checking our online calendar and take the perfect staycation with us that you’ll remember for years to come.

As always for more information, check out www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

Is Monzel Running for Sheriff?

I am confused. No seriously, I am confused with which office Chris Monzel is seeking. I thought he was running for Hamilton County Commissioner. Based on the vote he made against a resolution condemning Greg Hartman's (aka Guy of Gisbourne) effort to pay for the Stadium budget gap by cutting funding for indigent healthcare, you might think he was running for the Sheriff of Nottingham.

‘Touchdown Jesus’ Destroyed by Lightning

I will not make a religious interpretation of this, but ‘Touchdown Jesus’ was destroyed in a fire reportedly started by a lightning strike.

Mmm, Suckling Pig....

Mayberry's Josh Campbell did it again. Friday was his Don Ho Tiki Party, on the rooftop of Boost at 532 Reading. A combination of great food and interesting people made the evening memorable.

The food? Too much to mention, really. That's a suckling pig in the picture. Add to that lobster tails, shrimp, jerk chicken, crab salad, hickory-smoked pineapple rice, lime papaya salad, and three kinds of cake. And, oh, yeah, Molly Wellman was on-hand preparing authentic Tiki drinks. Somehow she made a drink that features violet liqueur into something other (something much, much, other) than a fruity, girlie drink.
And to top it all off: fireworks, courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds.

Hmm. Pictures in my post? I'm slowly becoming a less cool, more tolerant version of 5chw4r7z.

A Really Good Day for the Enquirer

Fair is fair. A few weeks ago, I and other bloggers expressed displeasure with the Enquirer over its characterization of a streetcar survey. Today, though, there's some great reading in the Enquirer, and I wanted to point it out.

• A "First in Print" piece by Dan Horn (quickly becoming my favorite reporter) profiling a couple's foreclosure troubles. The couple are among many people who suffered more than necessary because the bank that owned their mortgage didn't properly record the transfer of their home's deed upon foreclosure.
• A front-page, above-the-fold article by Sharon Coolidge placing Hamilton County's indigent care levy in context. Judging from the piece, Ms. Coolidge is clearly enjoying--and making good use of--the greater space her paper will give her to do analysis on political issues.
• A "First in Print" feature by Howard Wilkinson (is he now the Enquirer's senior reporter?) on the meme we can't hear enough about, "The Year of the Angry Voter."
• And the Enquirer's editorial lambasting Greg Hartmann's proposal to balance the stadium fund deficit by slashing the indigent care levy. (I believe this editorial was originally an op-ed by Tom Callinan that called Hartmann's suggestion an "indecent proposal," but the link to the earlier piece is broken.)

There's other good stuff in there as well (a nice article by Jessica Brown, newly-reassigned to the CPS beat, on the district's decision to explore alternative schools, as well as a fascinating piece by Janelle Gelfand--who, frankly, is one of the Enquirer's lesser-known gems--on the 90-year history of Cincinnati Opera). My Sunday paper, by the way, was an excellent accompaniment to a Mary-Cristo from Hamburger Mary's.

Final Day of Fringe

The 7th annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival has 1 more day left. More shows, more beer, more theatre, and more art await you! All you need to do is get off the couch. Lift yourself onto your hind legs and get down to the Know Theatre at 1120 Jackson Street in OTR and buy a ticket or five. For info on the shows go here: www.cincyfringe.com.

If you have seen shows already, make sure you vote for the Audience Pick Of The Fringe. Voting closes immediately after the last show tonight.