Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Make a visit to the MetroParks Ice Rink part of your family Christmas tradition and skate to holiday music under the pavilion.
Admission fee: $6 daily
Ice skate rental: $2 daily
Skaters ages 3 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult.
For current rink status, please call the ice rink at (937) 278-2607.
During periods of severe or uncooperative weather, the ice rink may not be open.
Ohio Brass & Electric will be bringing our signature mix of horns and great music back to Emporium Wines & The Underdog Cafe for a New Year’s Eve warmup dance party / wine & beer tasting!
It’ll be cold outside, but toasty inside, with the friendly Emporium staff pouring samples of their vast selection of great wines and beers (including some from Yellow Springs Brewery!), along with their usual baked goods and awesome sandwiches — the tasting starts at 6:30pm; the band begins to play around 7pm!
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ODOT even has an online submission form if you’ve got something to say about driving safety. Highway messages can be 3 lines, up to 17 characters per line. Submit your idea here.
Located just east of the ballpark, with nearly 4,500 SF of space including a 635 SF patio, Local Cantina will occupy the entire ground floor of commercial space in the new Centerfield Flats building. This Tex-Mex eatery features tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and an all-you-can-eat, made fresh daily, chips and salsa bar! This will be the 10th location for this Columbus based chain
They offer a wide variety of beers both on tap and in cans and specialize in margritas and bourbon. They officially open today at 4pm.
Original live music and hot drinks to fight local hunger at Gem City Catfé, featuring 18 Dayton area songwriters! Please come prepared to make a cash donation to Food Bank Dayton ♥
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20
6:00 Brandy Wallace
6:20 Frankie
6:40 Vivian
7:00 The Nautical Theme
7:20 Brandon Berry
7:40 Tony Herdman
8:00 Boo Lee Crosser
8:20 Sam Stone
8:40 Kevin Milner
This is a UAR holiday tradition! Enjoy a few miles with your running & walking friends with an oatmeal bar, coffee and more after! The run/walk will begin at 9am with a delicious breakfast ready for you afterward. Feel free to dress in your fanciest holiday running gear!
Get a head start on holiday celebrating, get away from the stress of the season and join us in historic downtown Middletown for our BLITZEN Cookie & Cocktail Walk. After checking in at the beautiful Windamere, you will walk to different shops, eateries and establishments to get 8 different cookies, lovingly prepared from our delicious downtown bakeries and eateries! Each “Cookie Stop” will have a specially selected cocktail pairing available for purchase (not included in ticket price, sold separately at each location). Cookie in one hand……paired cocktail in another…….does that sound like something at the top of your Christmas List?!
On Thursday, December 26, Starbucks is running there last Happy Hour of the year. These come every now and then, but throughout December the ubiquitous coffee chain has done one every Thursday. The alcohol-free Happy Hour offers you a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deal on all handcrafted drinks size grande or larger from 2-7pm local time at participating locations.
Here’s how to get the deal: Open the Starbucks mobile app — you have to have the app to participate in Happy Hour — open your account to find the offer in your inbox. You don’t have to be a rewards member to get the BOGO deal. Though, of course, you will get points toward even more free drinks if you’re a member.
Ever been interested in making your own beer? The state of Ohio permits you to make up to 100 gallons of beer a year for personal consumption, so why not take advantage of it? This is your opportunity to learn just how it’s all done, and how you can do it for yourself! Join us with our friends from HBYOB “Home Brew Your Own Beer” as our head brewer Chad Klehamer guides you through the steps needed to turn grain into one of the world’s most ancient and delicious beverages.
A pair of eagles are appearing almost daily at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark and Donna and Ray Riddlebarger are taking some incredible photographs of them.
According to Jim Weller “the eagle in the image above is Orv, the Carillon Park male. He visits Wegerzyn daily to keep an eye on the nomadic eagles that pass through in the fall and winter. There are a number of juvenile, immature, sub-adult and adult bald eagles that have found the tornado damaged trees there to be excellent perches. The Eastwood nest has fledged 18 eaglets since 2011 and should produce more in 2020. They were Dayton’s first resident eagles in 7 decades! Both Carillon eaglets were lost last year but they successfully fledged 2 this past summer. I fully expect that Wegerzyn, Triangle or Island park will have a nesting pair within a few years. Please be aware though that disturbing nesting eagles is a federal crime and just a few minutes of exposure to the elements may destroy the embryonic or recently hatched eaglet. Carillon Park (where I serve as their ‘eagle expert’) is unique in that the breeding adults there are so accustomed to human activity in the area that eagle watchers produce no stress for the birds. Please, never approach an isolated nest or a perched eagle. Eagles can safely be viewed within parks from a reasonable distance or anywhere along our river systems. They are simply majestic! Here is a closer look at Orv for identification. The darkness near his nares is key.”
Ryan Singer is the rarest of breeds: A comic’s comic who electrifies mainstream audiences with material that is both uncompromising and unpretentious. LaughSpin says, “With his high-energy delivery and unpretentious leanings, there’s not a lot to dislike about comedian Ryan Singer. And it’s not just us saying it: In the last few years, he’s won over audiences headlining the nation’s finer comedy clubs and was hailed by Marc Maron in Rolling Stone as a comedian “Who Should Be Big.”
Ryan has released his 3rd full-length album IMMORTAL FOR NOW after his debut album HOW TO GET HIGH WITHOUT DRUGS and sophomore release COMEDY WONDER TOWNwere selected as Top 10 Comedy CD’s of the year (2010 & 2012). He is the creator and host of one of the top Science & Medicine podcasts on iTunes, ME & PARANORMAL YOU, the twice-weekly mindcast (podcast) in which he has in-depth interviews with people who possess paranormal abilities or have had extraordinary experiences. He was selected by LA Weekly as one of “10 LA Comics to Watch” for 2014, was mentioned in NY Magazine as a “Comic to Watch,” was one of 4 finalists in the original CMT’s Next Big Comic Contest, is a frequent guest on the WTF Podcast w/Marc Maron and the Bob & Tom Show, and his joke “United Snacks of America” has over 7.5 million listens on Pandora.
101 Pine Street in the Oregon District
(937) 224-5653
Fri, Dec 20, 2019 8:00 PM
Sat, Dec 21, 2019 7:15 PM 9:30 PM
Tickets $10 plus a 2 item minimum
The Dayton Foundation has launched its 2020-2021 scholarship application process and is pleased to once again offer students access to ScholarshipCONNECT, an online scholarship search and college readiness resource. Students can access ScholarshipCONNECT by visiting www.daytonfoundation.org/scholars.
ScholarshipCONNECT offers more than 200 scholarship opportunities through The Dayton Foundation and educational foundations that are part of the Foundation. The system uses a detailed questionnaire to match students, based upon their educational interests and background, to possible scholarship opportunities. Students and parents also can help plan and pay for college by accessing links to online financial aid, scholarship and loan resources, and tools, such as a college debt calculator.
In fiscal year 2018-2019, The Dayton Foundation and the Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship Program, a component fund of The Dayton Foundation since 2006, have awarded more than $2.1 million in scholarships to help more than 1,400 students advance their educational goals.
The deadline to submit a completed ScholarshipCONNECT online application for scholarships for the 2020-2021 school year is March 6, 2020. For more information and success stories from previous years’ scholarship recipients, visit ScholarshipCONNECT, or connect with The Dayton Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s going to be a very souful Christmas indeed, with the sensational soul singer Kenneith Perrin. He’s back home in Dayton for this exclusive holiday performance!
Thursday December 19th at The Brightside – 905 E 3rd St Dayton, OH. Doors 7pm. Show 7:30-9pm. All ages welcome!
Tickets $10, available here: https://www.soundvalleydayton.com/events/a-very-soulful-christmas-with-kenneith-perrin
Handicapped accessible. On site parking available.
Come out and learn curling with the crew from Curl Troy, celebrating their 10th year as your curling club in The Miami Valley. This session is an introductory session and no experience is required. All you need is to have a clean pair of tennis shoes, comfortable clothing, and be ready to have fun. Each Learn to Curl Session will take you out on the ice where you will learn the basic rules of the game, learn how to throw a stone, learn how and why to sweep a stone, and some simple strategy as well.
Dayton is well known for our impressive history of pushing musical boundaries, from the invention of Funk to the incalculable influence of early 90s alternative bands Guided by Voices and The Breeders. As a new decade launches, a group of Dayton music enthusiasts are joining forces to launch the next generation of local music.
Local music promoter Libby Ballengee (of Venus Child Productions) recently partnered with The Brightside, a new mid-size, multi-purpose event venue located in downtown Dayton. “I was so excited when The Brightside opened because there was finally a place downtown that could hold 500 person concerts. It’s the perfect size for grassroots promoters like me.”
The key assets of The Brightside are its enormous stage and top-notch sound engineers. It’s a quality experience for performers and the audience alike. However, for new bands, it’s a big leap in cost and attendance to get up on that big stage. Ballengee felt bad about having to turn away inquiries, and sought a way to support new bands looking for a break.
In conversations with fellow promoter and ticketing agent Zac Pitts from Sound Valley Dayton, and The Brightside’s owner Carli Dixon, Ballengee realized that they shared a mutual vision for the future of Dayton’s music community. Given Dayton’s rich musical history and impressive talent pool, how could they support the next generation of Dayton musical innovators?
The idea for a Dayton Battle of the Bands rose to the surface. Many Daytonians remember Canal Street Tavern’s Dayton Band Playoffs, although some like Pitts, were a bit too young to attend himself. While inspired by the idea, the group wants to use the platform of a competition to be more of an incubator for new bands. Bands will receive feedback from music industry experts during the playoff rounds, and the winner will get a full promotional package to take them to the next level.
The winner of Dayton Battle of the Bands will perform on the ballroom stage at The Brightside, among other prizes. PHOTO BY LIBBY BALLENGEE.
On December 6th, 2019, a call for submissions will begin via daytonbattleofthebands.com. Bands or musical acts of any genre, that have been established 5 years or less and within a 35 mile radius of downtown Dayton are eligible to apply. There is no fee to apply or perform. Online registration opens December 6, 2019 and closes on December 22, 2019.
There is one more informational sessions for bands to get more information about the competition on Tuesday, December 17th. A band representative MUST attend one of these sessions to show proof of residency and to review how competition will work. Bands have a few days after the December meeting to complete their online registration.
Twenty bands will be selected by a review process by local judges, which includes Dr. Samuel N. Dorf, Associate Professor of Music at the University of Dayton, Tiffany Johnson, CEO of GigMerge and former VP of A&R for a Sony affiliate, Don Thrasher, longtime musician and journalist at the Dayton Daily News, among many others.
Once the 20 participating bands are selected, they will be scheduled to perform a 20 minute set in The Brightside’s listening room, over a 5 week period January 14th, 2020 – February 11th, 2020 on Tuesday evenings. Four bands will play their best originals each week, the winners moving onto the finale will take place on February 25, 2020. Bands proceeding to the finals are picked through an equal mix of audience and judge’s votes. The Final winner will be selected by audience votes only.
This is a wonderful promotional opportunity for all 20 bands that participate! The winner will receive a full promotional kit including their very own EP recording session with Reel Love Recording Studio, a music video by Sound Valley, a professional photo shoot, and a chance to play the BIG stage at The Brightside during the Sound Valley Winter Music Festival on Saturday March 7, 2020.
Exciting details and updates to come! For additional details follow: https://www.daytonbattleofthebands.com
NEXT EVENT:
Musician Open House and Dayton Battle of the Bands Sign Up
at The Brightside – 905 E 3rd St Dayton, OH
Tuesday December 17, 2019 from 6:30-8:30pm.
Free Admission!
YWCA Dayton recognized its longest-serving volunteer, Mrs. Betsy B. Whitney, with an honorary street designation during a reception and unveiling ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at YWCA Dayton (141 W. Third St.).
As approved by the City of Dayton Commission, North Wilkinson Street (from West Third to West First streets) will be designated Betsy B. Whitney Way. This location is significant as it touches both YWCA Dayton’s central building and Westminster Presbyterian Church (at 125 N. Wilkinson St.); Whitney has been a longtime parishioner of the church, which in 2001 received YW’s Women of Influence Lifetime Achievement Award. It is one of only four organizations to have received that honor.
Whitney’s contributions to YWCA Dayton, and the greater Dayton community, are unparalleled. She first volunteered at YWCA Dayton in 1957 – “It was my first volunteer opportunity after moving to Dayton,” she has said – and joined its Board of Directors in 1969. She has served in that role continuously for 50 years and is YW’s longest-serving volunteer, having devoted more than 80,000 hours of service.
“Truly, Betsy is an icon in the lifeblood of YWCA Dayton,” said Shannon Isom, president and CEO. “Because of her leadership, we were the second YWCA in the country to open a shelter for battered women – today, YWCA is the single largest provider of domestic violence shelters and services nationwide. Because of her tenacity, our Salute to Career Women was born – an awards program that is now Women of Influence, the largest nonprofit luncheon in the Miami Valley. And because of her philanthropic support, generations of women and girls have always – and will continue to – know our central building as a refuge of safety and love.”
A 2019 Dayton Region Walk of Fame inductee, Whitney is an Honorary Emeritus Sustaining Member of the Junior League of Dayton and has served on the boards and/or fundraising committees of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, Dayton Art Institute, The Dayton Foundation, Dayton History, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Dayton Visual Arts Center, Human Race Theatre Company, Leadership Dayton, Victoria Theatre Association, Woodland Cemetery, and Wright-Dunbar Inc. – to name a few.
“How do you honor an icon whose name is synonymous with our mission? You make sure they can both be seen simultaneously,” Isom said. “The corner of West Third and North Wilkinson has been our home for 106 years. For more than half of those years, Betsy Whitney has been our sounding board, our trailblazer, our unfailing champion, and an uplifting force for gender and racial equality across Dayton. It is now our turn to lift her name accordingly.”
