“Be careful what you wish for” seems to be the ongoing theme in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Brothers Grimm inspired musical, Into the Woods. The story follows The Baker and his wife who wish to have a child, Cinderella who wishes to go the King’s Festival, and Jack who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the Baker and his wife are visited by the neighborhood witch, who reveals to them that she placed a curse on their family, the two set off on a journey into the woods to reverse the curse. Also in the woods, we meet Little Red, who is trying to visit her grandmother, the Wolf who loves tasty little girls, the Witch’s daughter Rapunzel, and the Princes chasing after their loves. Everyone gets their wish and seemingly lives happily ever after. Until Jack’s beanstalk brings them a visit from an angry Giant and we see how the consequences of their actions haunt them in disastrous ways. The community must come together to save each other and their kingdom, but sacrifices must be made.
New Parking App Means No Digging For Coins At The Meter
In addition to the added convenience for customers — not having to dig for loose change, and being able to extend parking times remotely — Passport Parking also gives businesses the option to validate parking for their customers and clients. How it works:
- Your business can load a balance on the validation account management site.
- You can then create codes for a predetermined amount to allow customers to discount their parking sessions.
- The customer enters the code to receive a discount on their parking session.
- The validation amount is then deducted from your business’ merchant balance and transferred to the parking provider (City of Dayton).
Find more information and sign up for the Validation Program at passportinc.com/validation
Summer Lunch Fun Begins at Courthouse Square
The Downtown Dayton Partnership is excited to welcome lunchtime crowds back to The Square Is Where. Office workers and downtown residents are invited to Courthouse Square for outdoor seating and free live entertainment every weekday through the end of September.
Daily lunchtime entertainment begins Monday, May 2, with an official kickoff party planned for Friday, May 6. No programming will be scheduled during the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 5.
“Our downtown workforce is returning to the office, and we’re so excited to have them back at The Square Is Where,” said Sandra K. Gudorf, President of the Downtown Dayton partnership. “The ample seating, games, and live entertainment make Courthouse Square a great place for downtown office workers to catch up with friends and coworkers they may not have seen while working from home.”
The Square Is Where runs from 11:30am to 1pm every weekday on Courthouse Square, located at 23 N. Main Street. Visitors are welcome to pick up lunch or order delivery from local eateries, or purchase food from on-site mobile food vendors.
Each week, The Square Is Where programming will be provided by the Downtown Dayton Partnership with financial support from Montgomery County:
- Music Mondays – Request your favorite songs from a live DJ
- Trivia Tuesday – Answer questions and compete prizes in weekly trivia games
- Big Game Wednesday – Play a game of giant checkers, Connect 4, or cornhole with friends
- Second Thursday of the month – Name that tune for five in a row with Music Bingo
- Third Thursday of the month – Space Three offers lunchtime fitness classes for Tone it Thursday
- Fridays Live – Enjoy your lunch hour to the tune of a different live band each week
Stay up to date with special events all summer long on The Square Is Where webpage. The site also features a downtown lunch map with all of the locations open during lunch hours for meals, drinks, and treats. Or, take a spin on the Lunch-O-Maticto let luck choose your menu for you.
Special giveaways will take place throughout May to celebrate the return of The Square Is Where. Stay tuned to the Downtown Dayton Partnership social media for more information.
Charcuterie Class at Lucky Star Brewery
Culver’s Opens on Miller Lane
The former Ruby Tuesday’s at 6425 Miller Lane officially opens as Culver’s today. This Wisconsin based chain is well known for it’s ButterBurgers, cooked to order and topped with a lightly buttered, toasted bun. Fresh Frozen Custard is made in small batches right in the restaurant all day, every day. Miami County’s David Potts, launched the Culver’s restaurant in Troy in 2004 and added the Sidney location in 2007 purchased the land for this location in 2020, but some covid related delays caused this opening to take quite a bit of time. Local franchisee Mark Myers and his wife Jeanette, say this location will be “extra large, state-of-the-art” location just off Interstate 75. “We are labor-intensive,” Potts said earlier this year. “Customers order at a counter, but our employees bring the food to your table. In the drive-through, we will often run food out to the cars.”
While the menu is centered around ButterBurgers, the menu also includes many more options:
Not pictured here, but also available, hearty soups, chili, crinkle cut fries, cheddar fries, cheese curds, cole slaw, steamed broccoli, pretzel bits, onion rings and several salads.
Myers says, “When you come to Culver’s, it feels like you’re coming home. That family atmosphere is something we foster on purpose, and as an owner-operator that is how I will run my restaurant. I think that type of family atmosphere really makes a difference.”
And be sure to save room for dessert:
10:30 AM to 10:00 PM,
but hours may vary during opening
Levitt Dayton Season Preview Fundraiser
Ticket holders will enjoy a sampling of music from artists that will be on our stage in 2022, live music from Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, heavy hors d’oeuvres provided by Rich Taste Catering and one drink ticket. A cash bar will also be available. Guests will have access to our amazing silent auction items and live raffle.
Learn How To Fly Fish For Free
Always wanted to try fly fishing? Here is your opportunity. Instructors available for questions and will teach basic fly casting techniques in a controlled environment. Equipment is provided. No fishing license required at this location.
Toxic Brew Co Releases New Beer to Benefit SICSA
Miami Conservancy District Announces New Leader
The Miami Conservancy District (MCD) announced the selection of MaryLynn Lodor as its new general manager. She is currently chief operating officer/deputy director of the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, a Cincinnati and Hamilton County metro-area wastewater utility that provides sewer service to about 230,000 households and businesses.
Ms. Lodor’s primary responsibilities will include overseeing MCD’s operations, including strategic planning and implementation, staff leadership, and fiscal management. MCD is a political subdivision under State of Ohio law, with the mission to protect lives, property and economic vitality within the Great Miami River Watershed through an integrated system that provides unfailing flood protection, preserves water resources, and promotes enjoyment of our waterways. MCD serves nine counties and its 2021 operating revenues are approximately $10.6 million.
When her tenure begins on May 4, Ms. Lodor will succeed Janet M. Bly. Ms. Bly is retiring after serving MCD as its general manager since 2002.
“The Miami Conservancy District is an essential contributor to our region’s ability to thrive,” explained Beth Whelley, Board President of MCD and executive vice president at Fahlgren Mortine. “MaryLynn will bring her relevant experience, respect for the MCD legacy, and enthusiasm for our future to the benefit of all of our constituents.”
Discussing her motivation to lead MCD’s ongoing commitment to the Great Miami River watershed, Ms. Lodor says, “I developed an appreciation for water and natural resources at an early age, growing up on a small farm in Upstate New York. While in college, I was drawn to the nexus between the environment and thriving local economies. I am thrilled to be joining MCD, an organization that has a rich history, and I am looking forward to leading it into the future — working with Ohio’s Great Miami River watershed communities to improve, protect and manage its water resources for the benefit of the regional economy and future generations.”
During her 12-year employment with Cincinnati’s Metropolitan Sewer District, Ms. Lodor advanced from environmental programs manager to chief operating officer. She oversaw the development and implementation of innovative watershed-based solutions, operation of numerous water management facilities, developed strategic plans based on the needs of internal and external partners, and reduced the risk of damage to infrastructure and personal property caused by extreme storm events. She’s provided leadership in several regional organizations through her career including the Confluence Water Technology Cluster, Hamilton to New Baltimore Groundwater Consortium, Mill Creek Watershed Council of Communities, the Ohio River Sanitation Commission, Fernald Advisory Committee, Green Umbrella, Groundwork Cincinnati, and the Natural Resource Assistance Council for the Southwest Ohio Public Works Integrating Committee.
She was recognized twice by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies with public service awards and received an Individual Professional Excellence Award from the Ohio Stormwater Association.
Prior to her employment with the Metropolitan Sewer District, Ms. Lodor rose to the role of environmental division head with the Butler County Water and Sewer Department where she worked on groundwater protection, the Great Miami River Water Quality Credit Trading Program, and other efforts associated with water management. She has also served communities in New York State, focusing on water resources, regulatory compliance, and economic development.
Ms. Lodor holds a master of science in environmental management and policy from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and a bachelor of science in business administration with a concentration in environmental studies from the State University of New York at Oswego.
Founded in 1915, MCD was one of the first conservancy districts established after legislation passed into Ohio law, enabling the creation of multi-jurisdictional, watershed-based organizations to solve flooding problems, to conserve and develop water supplies, and to treat wastewater. The law allows using conservancy district lands for recreation. MCD has a three-member Board of Directors governed by a Court of a Common Pleas judge from each of the nine counties it serves. MCD has more than a dozen maintenance facilities in as many communities along the Great Miami River and its tributaries. Its administrative office is in downtown Dayton, Ohio.
A Taste of Things to Come!
$3 Import bottles
$4 Craft bottles/cans/drought
$4 Tito’s shots/shooters/cocktails
$4 Tullemoredew shots/Green Tea shooters
$6 Long Islands/Sex on the Beach/One Punch
ABBAMania at the Sorg!
New Downtown Brunch Option!
This Sunday, May 1st is the first brunch at The Bar and Bistro at 32 Webster Street. You can dine in or on the Patio from 11am – 2m. Reservation are suggested and can be made by calling (937) 224-3663.
The brunch menu includes a variety of breakfast and lunch items. See the menu here:
Vernon McIntryre’s Appalachian Grass
The By-Jo Theatre is extremely excited about Thursday, April 28th!!! That is when award-winning, Grand Ole Opry playing, and all-around great folk will be gracing the By-Jo stage. Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass will be live for one night only (April 28th, the show starts at 7 with doors opening at 6:15)!!!
Woodland Offers Headstone Cleaning & Restoration Class
Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is again offering a gravestone restoration class with expert Misti Spillman. Misti has a background in researching and restoring cemeteries. She worked as an AmeriCorps member at the Ohio History Connection and serves as a reference and liaison to numerous museums and historical societies throughout Ohio. Misti is the owner of Reviving Cemeteries, LLC.
You will receive hands on, one-on-one and group instruction on headstone preservation techniques including fixing breaks, resetting, cleaning and how to mix proper mortars for stone repair. You will also receive a Headstone Cleaning Starter Kit that will include all the tools needed for the day.
The entire workshop will be spent in the cemetery. A break for lunch will be provided. Please feel free to bring a lunch or visit any of the restaurants on Brown Street.
This workshop will be conducted at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum from 10 am.to 3 pm on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Cost is $30 per person for the Beginners class. This class is limited to 30 people.
To make your reservation, please click here.
Kings Island Concert Series Announced
The Avett Brothers
Tuesday, June 28 – Gates 7 p.m. | Music 8 p.m.
American folk rock band The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their 2009 major label debut, I and Love and You, landing at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 and garnering critical acclaim. True Sadness (2016) achieved The Avett Brothers’ highest career debut to date hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Albums Chart, No. 1 Top Rock Albums Chart, No. 1 Digital Albums Chart, No. 3 on Billboard Top 200 and scoring two GRAMMY® nominations.
Berlin & A Flock Of Seagulls
Saturday, July 9 – Gates 6 p.m. | Music 7 p.m.
This Los Angeles-based synth pop group Berlin, founded by bassist John Crawford, singer Terri Nunn, and keyboard player David Diamond, topped the charts in 1986 with the single “Take My Breath Away,” the love theme from the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun. A Flock Of Seagulls may well be known for their bizarrely teased haircuts as much as their hit single “I Ran.” A Flock Of Seagulls were one of prime movers in the ‘80s new wave era.
3 Doors Down with special guest Candlebox
Friday, July 22 – Gates 6 p.m. | Music 7 p.m.
Grammy Award®-nominated multi-platinum Mississippi rock band 3 Doors Down first found their own voice in 1995. It’s only gotten louder over the past two decades. Everything kicked off with their 2000 debut, The Better Life. The album went six-times platinum and introduced the world to their now-classic “Kryptonite.” Their fan base continued to grow with 2002’s triple-platinum Away from the Sun—which yielded the smashes “When I’m Gone” and “Here Without You.”
Skillet with special guest Jordan St. Cyr
Saturday, July 23 – Gates 6 p.m. | Music 7 p.m.
Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band currently consists of husband John Cooper and wife Korey Cooper along with Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison. The band has released eleven albums, two of which, Collide and Comatose, received Grammy nominations.
Five for Fighting with special guest The Verve Pipe
Saturday, August 20 – Gates 6 p.m. | Music 7 p.m.
Proceeds from this concert will benefit A Kid Again
John Ondrasik, the songwriter and performer known as the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Five For Fighting, has penned major hits including the chart-topping “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “Chances,” “World” and “Easy Tonight,” which have earned tens of millions of streams and place him as a top-10 Hot Adult Contemporary artist for the 2000s. Five For Fighting’s music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercial.
The Drowsy Chaperone Opens This Weekend in Springboro
With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight.