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Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Color of Energy Gallery

Jane’s Best Bets (5/4 – 5/8)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Since it is May, you may be asking the question, “Is there anything fun going on this week in Dayton?”  The answer of course is an enormous “YES!”  This week, there are so many things from which to choose that you may have some very difficult decisions ahead of you!

On Wednesday, join Dayton Creative Syndicate as they welcome Guest Speaker, Jack Supple at Brixx Ice Company.  Taste some wine as part of the Weekly Wine Tasting at The Wine Gallery.  Not yet prepared to make your bets for the Kentucky Derby?  Be sure to attend the Derby Preview Party at Color of Energy Gallery where John Engelhardt from River Downs and other horse racing experts will give you some great tips…and don’t forget to have a mint julep!  Plus, there will be a live horse outside the art gallery AND live music!  Afterwards, please carefully walk to Fifth Third Field to watch the Dragons as they play the South Bend Silver Hawks.  And finally, give those vocal folds a workout by heading to Blind Bob’s for Karaoke.

On jueves (Thursday), start the day at the Presidential Banquet Center for the 2nd Annual Voices for Kids Benefit, which helps CHOICES, an organization that provides a support system for youth, their families, and foster parents.  Over at Sinclair, attend the 2011 Go Red For Women Luncheon.  Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style at one of these great restaurants:  (1) The Caroline, which offers some great Cinco de Mayo specials; (2) El Meson – starting at 3PM, they will have $1 Tequila shots and free tapas until 5:30PM…plus amazing food, music, and dancing; or (3) El Rancho Grande (or the “E.R.” as my friend Lynne calls it) for 1/2 Price Ladies Night.  Or Join the Dayton Ballet Barre for their 1st Annual Cinco de Mayo ‘Barre’ Crawl which will take place at a variety of bars in the Oregon District.  If Mexican food does not appeal to your taste buds, no problem.  You can attend the Beer & Burger Tasting at A Taste of Wine in downtown Miamisburg.  Some other possibilities for Thursday evening include listening to the Hal Melia Quartet as part of the Vectren Just Jazz Series at the Dayton Art Institute, Space Night at the Air Force Museum, Dayton Theology on Tap at Oregon Express, or watching the Dragons as they play the South Bend Silver Hawks.

On Friday, ALL young professionals should without a doubt participate in Generation Dayton’s Get Out, & Give Back Dayton! The day will consist of a lunch, followed by a variety of service projects at area non-profits, and finally a wonderful after-party at Oregon Express!  Get registered today and bring a friend!  Afterwards, attend the First Friday art hop downtown.  Also downtown, you can participate in the Courteous Mass Ride, watch the Dragons play the South Bend Silver Hawks, listen to the Paul McKenna Band at the Dayton Art Institute, or attend ‘Byron Stripling: Satchmo, Fats & The Duke’ (Dayton Philharmonic) at the Schuster Center (click here to find out how you can get discounted tickets, courtesy of jumpstART!).  And if you’re brave enough to venture outside of downtown, head to the Dayton Mall Chick-fil-A for a Free Chick-fil-A Sandwich from 4-7PM, the Baum Opera House for The Wizard of Oz, or the Centerville Performing Arts Center for Hello, Dolly!

Hopefully you spent your Friday night downtown so you can wake up and gallop your way to the Derby Day Dash 5K and Kids Fun Run at RiverScape.  Then head to PNC 2nd Street Market to Make Your Own Crepe.  Over at Garden Station Community Garden/Art Park, share your food, art, music, or whatever else you want as part of the Really Really Free Market.  Wear your favorite hat (the bigger, the better!) and support women’s wellness by attending the 2nd Annual Crown Jewels Derby Day Brunch at Brio.  I hope to see you there!  Keep that hat on so that you will be able to attend the Junior League of Dayton Derby Party at The Wine Loft.  In order to support a couple other great causes, attend the House of Bread Silent Auction at the Dayton Mall Holiday Inn or the American Red Cross’s Putting on the Glitz event at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center.  If your doctor wrote you a prescription for laughter, be sure to get your tickets to Cocktails with Larry Miller at Victoria Theatre.  Although I’m not an accountant, I don’t think this would qualify as a medical expense under your H.S.A.  Listen to the Dayton Philharmonic’s performance – ‘Byron Stripling: Satchmo, Fats & The Duke’, which takes place at the Schuster Center.  Other musical options include listening to the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Concert at Shiloh Church or the The Primo Trio at the Dayton Art Institute as part of the Vanguard Concert Series.  Catch “Saturday Night Football” at Hara Arena as the Dayton Silverbacks play the Indianapolis Enforcers.  And finally, if you feel like catching a show, both The Wizard of Oz (Baum Opera House) and Hello, Dolly (Centerville Performing Arts Center) will still be running strong!

On Sunday, if you do nothing else, be sure to honor your mother!  If you don’t mind (and if you do mind, sorry, I just don’t care), I’d like to give a quick shout out to mine – Thank you mom for being the best mom ever…and thank you for not just putting up with my dumb jokes, but actually laughing at them!  I love you bunches and bunches! Thanks for letting me do that, although you really had no choice.  Anyways, whatever you’re doing, I hope you will be able to have the opportunity to spend Sunday with your mother.  And don’t worry because you won’t have to cook breakfast or lunch, as many restaurants are offering Mother’s Day Specials!  Some places that are offering brunch include The Barnsider, Hilton Garden Inn, Carvers, Blind Bob’s, Boulevard Haus, Dublin Pub, and Fleming’s.  Don’t forget to take your wallet…it would be bad news if your mom had to pay!  And if your mom likes music, take her to Kettering Fairmont High School for the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert.  Or take her to see Honk! Jr. at Town Hall Theatre.

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

Why was the racehorse named Bad News?  Because Bad News travels fast.

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!

Hats & Horses – Derby Doings in Dayton

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Every year as May roles around there is  a lot of talk about the Kentucky Derby.  Recipes start floating around for the quintessential Mint Julep or Derby Pie.  Women start discussing hats- and this year the talk was kick-started early due to the Royal Wedding. Heck, I even know the difference between a downbrim and a Fascinator, something my grandmother would have been so proud of, if she were still here.  People that never seem to care about horse racing suddenly talk handicapping. Last year I enjoyed the Derby Day Brunch at Brio, but never even saw the race.  This year something got into me and I’ve decided to make the trek down to  Churchill Downs.  So if you want to get caught up in all the hoopla,  here are some great events to celebrate the greatest two minutes in sports.

Color of Energy hosts  a Derby Day Preview Party
Wed, May 4th 6:30pm

Kicking off  “And Their Off,” a horseracing photographic exhibit by John Engelhardt, A Color of Energy gets you ready for The Derby . John is a longtime employee of River Downs in Cincinnati and a resident of Oakwood.  He has a great collection of horseracing scenes that tie in with the upcoming Kentucky Derby. Color of Energy gallery will be hosting along with Judge Dan Gehres and Tom Archdeacon.  The party will feature Engelhardts photos, Ed Meyer a professional handicapper from Kentucky gives his derby predictions and a live throughbred race horse will be outside!!  It wouldn’t be a true Dereby party without the singing of Run for the Roses & My Old Kenutcky Home and Dale Walton will be on hand to do that!  Sidebar will be serving Hotbrowns and Derby pie and providing a cash bar. Original jockey silks will decorate the day and this will be a great forum for Derby stories, history and a preview to what promises to be a great event.

13th Annual Derby Day Dash 5K and Youth Fun Runs
Sat May 7th 8am – 11am

Start the day off by participating in The Derby Day Dash, a charitable fun run that benefits Life Essentials, an organization that helps people who slip through gaps in community services. The day is family friendly and consists of a 5K run/walk, a Tot Trot for ages 3-5, a Kids Canter for the 6-8 year olds and the Guys & Girls Gallop for ages 9-10.   All events start and finish at Fifth Third Plaza in downtown Dayton.  The first 75 registered children between the ages of 6 and 10 will be fitted for a free safety helmet.  All children registered will receive a free ticket to the Beach Watherpark.
There are also team contests with prizes for the largest team, best team name and as appropriate for the day, a hat contest.  Don’t worry, a hat check will be provided for racers, as no hats are to be worn during the race. After the races their will also be drawing for door prizes.  For more information call 586-0545 or email

The second annual Crown Jewels™ of Dayton Derby Day Brunch Sat, May 7th 10am – 1pm

The event generously hosted by Brio at The Greene includes a buffet brunch and in true Derby-style, mint juleps. Other activities will include a “Hat Strut” by our guests, a silent auction and roaming models from merchants at The Greene. Guests will also get their picture taken by the official Derby Day photographer and everyone will receive a Run for the Pink Roses commemorative glass.

All proceeds from this Crown Jewel’s™ event go to further the work of the Kettering Medical Center Foundation’s Women’s Wellness Fund. The fund provides free screening and diagnostic mammograms, breast ultrasounds and prostheses to uninsured women (and men) in our community. It also provides education on breast cancer and other women’s health issues through the Cindy Wilde Vogel Memorial Library located at the Kettering Breast Evaluation Center. Procedures may be scheduled at any accepting mammography facility in the area (not just a KMC affiliate) and the Women’s Wellness Fund will cover the cost. To date over 8000 people have been able to use this life saving service.  Tickets for the Crown Jewels Derby Day Brunch are $40.  Many of the calendar models are selling tickets for this even or you can call Tina at 937-259-7927 to order your tickets.

JLD Derby Party
Sat, May 7, 4-8pm

The Junior League of Dayton invites you to put on your Derby hat and sip Mint Juleps while you watch the most exciting tow minutes in sports with them as they host a watch party at The Wine Loft at The Greene.  Tickets run $30 for members and spouses, and $35 for non-members.  Tickets include 2 drink tickets and a spread that will include Hot Browns, Pimento Cheese Toasts, Mint Julep Lamp Chops, Shrimp & Cheese Grits and Thourghbread Pie.  You can purchase tickets online or by mailing check to the Junior League of Dayton Office. Ticket Purchase Deadline is Friday, May 6th at Noon.

Coming Up in Dayton Theatre – 04/21 – 05/04

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THURSDAY, APRIL 21 – WEDNESDAY, MAY 4

When I was growing up, my grandparents had dinner for our extended family at their home every Easter Sunday, but the highlight of the day was always the Cousins’ Easter Egg hunt. My uncles hid something like five hundred eggs outside, and the race was on to find the most or to find one of the special prize eggs. Now, despite flashes of chilly weather and our constant busyness with school, work, and/or life, somehow Easter is already this weekend.

Easter always seems like a quick holiday, marked by time at the in-laws’ or parents’, consisting of dinner, church, and/or an egg hunt, and lasting for approximately one day. However, a great way to extend that a little is to see a show at some point during the weekend, to make the holiday longer than just dinner. This weekend, both a family show and a mature drama are presented, so whether you’re in the mood to laugh or feel deeply, or just do something besides the typical holiday offerings, check out the productions below!

Another Openin’, Another Show

…SHOWS CLOSING SOON

Permanent Collection

HUMAN RACE THEATRE COMPANY

The Story: Loosely based on a true story, in this play, eccentric collector Alfred Morris pretty much guarantees the collisions when his will stipulates both that his museum go to an historically black college and that the displays be kept precisely as they are – leading to an inevitable battle over African artworks that have been kept in basement storage.(HRTC)
Dates: April 14 – May 1, 2011
Tickets and More Information: Human Race Theatre Company

Phantom Tollbooth

ZOOT THEATRE ASSOCIATION

The Story: In this adaptation of the youth classic performed at the VTA Schuster Center’s Mathile Theatre, after the very bored Milo receives a make-believe tollbooth, he is transported to the Lands Beyond, a fantastic and imaginitive world. He meets Tock the watchdog, the floating Alex Bings (whose legs have not yet grown down to earth), Dynne (a monster made of smoke), and many others, ultimately learning the boundlessness of imagination.
Dates: April 21 – 30, 2011
Tickets & More Information: Victoria Theatre Association , Zoot Theatre Company

…ONE WEEKEND ONLY

Blackbird

DAYTON THEATRE GUILD

The Story: Fifteen years after their affair, two ex lovers meet, and are overwhelmed by guilt, rage, and raw emotions bpertaining to their relationship of years past, when she was twelve and he was forty. After prison and hardship, Ray has finally forged a new life for himself; Una, however, still remembers and definitely wants answers. This award-winning drama “ruthlessly explores the complicated history and bond between a man and a woman as they struggle through a deep exploration into what happened and why it happened, and what it all means now.”
Dates: April 22 – 24, 2011
Tickets & More Information: DMM Preview Article , Dayton Theatre Guild

One Short Day

…SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THE THEATRICALLY MINDED

Big Fat Concert Series, Vol. II: I Feel So Much Spring

ENCORE THEATER COMPANY

The Basics: After a standing-room-only fall concert, ETC is back with a second series and two performances, held this time at the Color of Energy Art Gallery in the heart of the Oregon District. Featuring songs from some of the most innovative new writers, including Derek Gregor and Sam Carner, Jeff Thomson & Jordan Mann (Jonathan Larson
Award-winners), Kyle Jarrow, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul as well as locally-based musical theatre writers, this concert features the best of rising musical theatre.
Dates: April 29 & 30, 2011; 8 pm (venue open at 7:30 pm for cocktails)
Tickets: $5 at the door
More Information: Encore Theater Company

~KN

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].