Bad Boys & Beer at the Belly Bomb Cafe

Election season is over!  No matter your political stance and your state of happiness/unhappiness following the elections, at least celebrate the fact that you won’t have to deal with any more campaign commercials, fliers, or annoying phone calls!  In order to start the celebration, here are some options this week!

On Wednesday, support the Humane Society by attending Pet Afflaire 2010: 20th Anniversary at the Presidential Banquet Center, which will include dining, socializing, “barktinis”, and an auction.  Or sip a variety of wines at Dorothy Lane Market’s Wine Tasting (Centerville location) or at the The Wine Gallery’s Weekly Wine Tasting.  Even though you might be bummed that fall is here, spring is in the air at the Victoria Theatre!  Be sure to attend their presentation of the Tony Award winning musical, Spring Awakening.  Plus, if you’re a student and you bring your student ID to the Ticket Center Stage Box Office, you can get half-off tickets two hours before the show!

On Thursday, all you Buckeye fans will want to head to the Schuster Center to see Archie Griffin as part of the Junior League of Dayton Town Hall Lecture Series.  At the Dayton Art Institute, attend the last DAI 2010 Vectren Just Jazz Series, featuring Khalid Moss.  If you enjoy baking and want to perfect your cookie decorating skills, consider heading to Cooks’ Wares in Springboro for their Holiday Cookie Decorating.  If you need a taste tester or have any “goof-ups,” let me know…I’d be happy to help!  At the First Baptist Church of Dayton, attend the Local Foods Chili Dinner, where UD students from the Nutrition & Dietetics Department will prepare a meal in order to promote local foods.  In addition, all donations received will benefit the Foodbank.  And if you love musicals, attend ETC’s Big Fat Concert Series: Indulge Yourself at Sidebar in the Oregon District for cocktails and a FREE concert!

On Friday, “accord”ing to me, you should consider attending the Commemorative Banquet as part of the Dayton Peace “Accords” 15th Anniversary Event at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center.  In the evening, get your bike from out of the garage (and in my case, dust it off and put air in your tires), and participate in the Courteous Mass Ride.  While you’re downtown, check out many of the events going on there as part of First Friday.  Even though I’m typically on the side of the good guys, this weekend I’ll recommend the Bad Boys & Beer at the Belly Bomb Cafe Event at Taj Ma Garaj for fine food, samples of craft beer, and live music!  Plus, proceeds benefit the Epilepsy Foundation and Dayton History.  Or, if you want to catch a show/concert, some of your options include ‘Chopin’s Circle’at the Schuster Center, Irving Berlin’s White Christmasat La Comedia, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs at Town Hall Theatre, The 39 Steps at The Loft Theatre, The Sugar Witch at the Dayton Theatre Guild.  Also, if you are a theater lover, be sure to check out the onStageDayton section of DaytonMostMetro.com for more detailed info about the Dayton theater scene!

On Saturday, attend the We Care Arts Holiday Open House.  If you love Thomas, The Dayton Train Show at Hara Arena is where it’s at.  (Sorry English teachers – prepositions are what my sentences sometimes end in.)  If you can’t get enough of the King and the Rocket Man, come to the Mandalay Banquet Center for Rock the House – Elvis & Elton.  In addition to music, there will be a dinner, raffle, silent auction, and much more.  The Kettering Medical Center will thank you, thank you very much, as the proceeds will benefit oncology services there.  There will also be some theater options, including The Sugar Witch at the Dayton Theatre Guild, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs at Town Hall Theatre, The 39 Steps at The Loft Theatre, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at La Comedia.  If you enjoy classical music, attend ‘Chopin’s Circle’ at the Schuster Center.  Also at the Schuster Center, consider attending Justin and Ryan:  A Night of Improv…I think just about anything with improv in its name is going to be funny!  Are you among the Flyer Faithful?  If so, hopefully you will be checking out Brian Gregory’s team as the Flyers play Findlay in an exhibition game at UD Arena.  Gotta love UD basketball!  And finallly on Saturday, if you want to get a head start on your Christmas shopping (after all, Christmas is less than two months away!), head down to the Dayton Visual Arts Center for the ARTtoBUY Holiday Gift Gallery for some unique options!

On Sunday, after you enjoy an extra hour of sleep (or perhaps you used your extra hour partying on Saturday!), all active duty, reserve, guard, retired military personnel and their families should head to Young’s Jersey Dairy, where they are offering a 20% off discount as part of their Support the Troops 20% Off Weekend (just show them your military ID).  Also, The Dayton Train Show will continue on at Hara Arena.  Sundays are also great days to visit museums, so you may want to take a trip to the Dayton Art Institute for one of their many exhibits, including 100 Years of African-American Art: The Arthur Primas Collection, Marking the Past/Shaping the Present: The Art of Willis ‘Bing’ Davis, and the Max May Memorial Holocaust Art Exhibition.  If you’d like to catch more theater, here are your possibilities:  The Sugar Witch at the Dayton Theatre Guild, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs at Town Hall Theatre, The 39 Steps at The Loft Theatre, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at La Comedia.

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

Why shouldn’t you tell secrets when a clock is around?

Because time will tell.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!   And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a great week Dayton!