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Freebird

Life Is So Strange When It’s Changin’ – A Look At Life, Liberty And Lucidity With Lynyrd Skynyd

August 30, 2011 By J.T. Ryder Leave a Comment

A Look At Life, Liberty And Lucidity With Lynyrd Skynyd

We may view our lives as a linear passage of time, as if we were tiredly gazing through a car window as the lackluster landscape as our lives flew by, a vista of relatively repetitive sameness that is only occasionally broken by the intermittent roadside sign or mildly interesting landmark or two. We make stops along the way, from mildly significant sojourns to epochal events that change the course of our lives. There are very few things that can bring back the memories from the past with any clarity. It’s like trying to remember the innocence of your first kiss and, the more desperately you try to bring it into focus, the quicker is blurs and skitters away into an aching sense of loss.

Conversely, the wafting scent of perfume, a distantly echoed giggle or the chorded melody from a long lost song can drag you backwards in time, suddenly forcing you to relive that moment. Most of our lives are lived with a barely audible soundtrack, a constant companion that etches itself within the furrows of our minds and, when a song from our past comes on the radio, we remember with utter clarity the first time we heard it, maybe coiled beneath the covers with a transistor radio drawn close to our ears allowing a world bigger than our own to enter our consciousness.

I remember the fist time I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird. I was sitting on the porch of an abandoned farmhouse near my home with a Realistic AM/FM radio echoing past the nonexistent front door and inside the vacant structure. I had previously been occupied with doing a good amount of nothing and had planned on extending that agenda far into the afternoon. The sun was high and the day’s warm breeze caused the chest high (to me…I was like nine years old) bearded grass to brush against the rusted remnants of discarded washers and dryers that had been unceremoniously dumped in the overgrown driveway, resulting in a sound not unlike a brushed high hat…nature was accompanying my musical selections. Free Bird came on with no announcements or warnings: just a stark, churchlike organ slicing through the midday haze, sounding ominous and comforting all at once. The building of sporadic percussion and straying strums of the guitar ended suddenly with the moaning slide of a Coricidin cough medicine bottle along the neck of a guitar. I was hooked. I listened raptly, through the pining lyrics, past the pressure cooker build up and all the way through the violent release of triple lead guitars, all the way to the fade and into the hissing open dead air of real radio. I sat through an interminable amount of commercials, waiting for the DJ to come back on and tell me what I had just experienced. Of course he didn’t and I was left clueless until I sat in a friend’s basement and he handed over the still glossy cover of an album mysteriously titled Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd, which I still managed to mispronounce because I suck at phonetics.

Over the years, that song will come on the radio and, regardless of what I am doing, I will crank it up and listen to it until the fade out (unless some industrious DJ manages to put on the version from Skynyrd’s Innyrds, which has a more bombastic ending altogether). The keening wail of the guitars, the simplicity of the message and the organic way in which it all fits together seems to take me back to a time of innocence. Not necessarily my own, but a more overall innocence. A time before record companies created cookie cutter hit makers and allowed their artists to create. A time when AOR (Album Oriented Rock) radio stations ruled the airwaves and would allow the DJ’s and the listeners to dictate what was played, as opposed to being spoon fed the latest popular pabulum. It was a time of originality and exploration, instead of following a format or a formula to dispense with the next grandstanding standard.

I was able to talk to Rickey Medlocke (one of the original drummers for Lynyrd Skynyrd, guitarist in the current line-up as well as creator, guitarist and lead singer of yet another monster Southern rock group, Blackfoot) several times over the years, which has been both daunting and exhilarating. One of the things that I wanted to ask him was whether or not I was romanticizing the era, extrapolating my own innocence onto a whole decade or if there has been a shift within the music industry.

“You gotta realize I was there for some of the stuff because I was one of the original drummers, so I was there and saw how stuff went down, and it went down so innocently and so pure. We just wrote songs, and had a magic about ourselves.” Expounding on the music scene now, Medlocke said, “Nowadays you’d be hard-pressed even find a band that even practices their instruments on their own. I’m a guitar player and I’ve had a love affair with my instrument ever since day one, and that’s what it’s all about. I didn’t get into this business to become a rock star; it just happened because we had great music, you know what I mean?”

Running with that line of thought, Medlocke went on to say that:

“Well, you’ve gotta understand, when we decided to do what we did for a living, it was two-fold. Record companies signed bands to create two careers; the record company’s and the band’s. They signed bands to build us up, which in turn built the record company’s career.” Comparitively, Medlocke said, “Nowadays, it’s not about that anymore. First of all, you don’t have near as many record labels as you used to;  everything is Internet. People want self-satisfaction right away. I look at it like this, back when I got signed and the band was formed, we looked forward to a good record company.  Now, the only thing that you sell records for anymore is for tickets and merchandising.”

In speaking with people worldwide, it has surprised me somewhat that Lynyrd Skynyrd is regarded as the definitive American sound, along with other genres created by the surf groups and country and western. Lynyrd Skynyrd has always had a prideful side when it came to their roots and country of origin, which comes out not only in their music, but in the core beliefs. Like the lyrics in their songs, Medlocke’s views on the country he loves are very direct and to the point.

“I mean, the one thing that I do know that’s going on in this world today is everything is so polarized, you know? It’s a damn shame, you know? It seems like our country is being pulled completely apart and, for Lynyrd Skynyrd, we’ve been the American band for all these years and it’s really sad for us to see how this country is being so polarized and pulled apart. When in reality a few short years ago, you couldn’t break this country apart…I mean, it’s interesting. Now, it’s like everybody’s losing their damn balls man, and nobody wants to stand up and do anything. So, you know, that’s the whole thing about it; instead of getting stronger, instead of having some damn balls about ourselves, the country’s getting softer, being weaker.” Medlocke went on to say that, “Myself, I don’t like to use the band as a platform to talk about politics, because I think that entertainers should definitely stay the hell out of politics. You know what I mean? Because, entertainers…we got our own kind of gig and a lot ofHollywood… those people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about when they get into politics. But the point of what I’m getting at is instead of pulling this nation apart, we should be pulling it together, you know? Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent or whatever, we’ve got one of the best countries in the damn world, and guess what? It seems like the damn thing’s being ripped in two.”

Paradoxically, the image of an airplane factors into the separation of bothAmericaand Lynyrd Skynyrd: a division of time wherein there is that hardscrabble climb out of the rubble to rebuild the icon that once was. In Lynyrd Skynyrd’s case, this epochal event came in the form of a Convair 240 passenger airplane ill-fatedly nicknamed Free Bird, which plummeted out of the Mississippi skies in 1977, killing Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. The remaining street survivors of Lynyrd Skynyrd chose to stay the course in spite of their grave losses. For a long period of time after the death of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, a lone, empty microphone stood, speared in the spotlights as the rest of the band played an instrumental version of Free Bird. This tradition lasted until 1989 when Ronnie Van Zant’s brother, Johnny stepped in to quell a near riot almost caused by fans needing the words to be sung, for the role of a leader to be filled.  Since then, arenas have been filled, records recorded and an homage paid to the creators of the most emblematic music to be pressed into vinyl and into the public’s consciousness. At the end of each concert, Lynyrd Skynyrd plays Free Bird and the audience erupts in unity. Lighters (or cell phones) are held aloft and one wonders if it is to pay tribute to the musicians, to guide those who are lost or who we have lost, or perhaps to try and light the image of our innocence, so that we may see it in utter clarity one more time.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX3cbFJ3lYU’]

Filed Under: Dayton Music Tagged With: Dayton Music, Freebird, J.T. Ryder, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rickey Medlocke, southern rock, Van Zant

The Rickey Medlocke Interview

May 9, 2007 By J.T. Ryder Leave a Comment

The Guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd Speaks Out

May 9th, 2007

During a recent telephone interview, I caught up with Rickey Medlocke, one of the three lead guitarists in the current Lynyrd Skynyrd line up. Rickey was one of the original drummers for Lynyrd Skynyrd back in the early seventies who eventually went on to form the southern rock band Blackfoot, so named due to his American Indian heritage.

J.T.: Now, if I remember right, years ago you were in Skynyrd, but you were playing drums.

Rickey: Yeah, I was one of the original drummers, yeah.

J.T.: Do you ever miss being a little more in the background?

Rickey: No! No! No! No! Ha ha! Well, of course not! I was the lead singer and lead guitarist for Blackfoot. I mean, I love to play guitar, I love to entertain people. I just wasn’t…I guess I was a good enough drummer, but I wasn’t a great drummer.

J.T.: How is the current tour holding up. Everything still going good?

Rickey: Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah! Everything is going real good, man. We’re just taking it one day at a time, and so far so good. The crowds have been great, it’s a good package. I mean, Hank (Williams Jr.) has a little bit older fans and our fans are a little bit older, but we also get Lynyrd Skynyrd girls from fifteen to fifty-five now, so I think it works out O.K.  The deal is, it’s going good, the crowds are great, they’re all pumped, you know. Hank is Hank and Lynyrd Skynyrd, you know…(Laughs)…what can you say, what can you say!

J.T.: Now, with the younger audiences, do you think your bringing something new to them as well as the presenting the extensive history of Lynyrd Skynyrd?

Rickey: Well, I think so. Last year, we had Three Doors Down out there with us and that was phenomenal. Like I said, the audiences range from fifteen to fifty-five, so, uh, what can you say?

J.T.: With some of the collaborative stuff you guys have been doing with younger artists as well as some of the tour billings with, like you mentioned, Three Doors Down, does that change Skynyrd’s direction at all?

Rickey: Well, that’s really interesting. We’ve been writing for a new CD right now and we’ve been writing with a lot of different writers. We’re involved with a guy that’s been writing and been involved with Velvet Revolver and people like that. We’re writing with a guy that is the guitar player right now for Rob Zombie. On the other side of it, we’re writing with people that’s been, you know, that’s had hits with…country (artists). We’re involved with a bunch of writers and what I think it does is, whatever we put our hands on, it comes out as Lynyrd Skynyrd. Because I think Skynyrd music has a broad spectrum anyway.

J.T.: Yeah, it definitely crosses boundaries. From rock to blues to country…

Rickey: Oh yeah! Sure does, man.

J.T: I know there was some controversy among Skynyrd fans when you introduced the Travelin’ Man duet, where Johnny VanZant sings along with the vocals from the deceased Ronnie VanZant. Is that still part of the performance?

Rickey: Well, this year…I’m not going to let any secrets out, but we’re doing some really different stuff. You know, that came about back on the Thyrty record, and we introduced that and we’ve used it every once in a while, but we’ve got some other surprises in store for everybody on this thing. You know, they’re going to have to come out and check it out.

J.T.: Along those lines, with the song Red, White and Blue, is there more of a patriotic reaction to that song now then when it was released?

Rickey: Well, I think that it’s about the same, maybe a little bit more.  I mean, the one thing that I do know that’s going on in this world today is everything is so polarized, you know? It’s a damn shame, you know? It seems like our country is being pulled completely apart, and for Lynyrd Skynyrd, we’ve been the American band for all these years…and it’s really sad for us to see how this country is being so polarized and pulled apart. When, in reality, a few short years ago, you couldn’t break this country apart… it’s interesting. Now, it’s like everybody’s losing their damn balls, man, and nobody wants to stand up and do anything. So, you know, that’s the whole thing about it; instead of getting stronger, instead of having some damn balls about ourselves, the country’s getting softer, being weaker. I, for myself don’t like to use the band as a platform to talk about politics, because I think that entertainers should definitely stay the hell out of politics, you know what I mean? Because, entertainers…we got our own kind of gig and a lot of Hollywood, those people don’t know what the hell they’re talking about when they get into politics. I mean, Ronald Reagan was a rare case, you know? Ha! That guy was a very rare case, you know? But the point of what I’m getting at is instead of pulling this nation apart, we should be pulling it together, you know? Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent or whatever, we’ve got one of the best countries in the damn world, and guess what? It seems like the damn thing’s being ripped in two.

J.T.: Yeah, it’s like everybody is in their own camps and you can’t say anything cause you don’t know if you’re going to end up in a fist fight.

Rickey: Yeah! Right! Also, its like, just think about it…guys have been cracking jokes for years and years and years and everybody kind of took it in stride. Now, you got to be real careful with what you say because you’re going to end up without a gig, your family is going to be broke, you’re going to be homeless, or whatever. It’s like, this country has become so politically correct, it’s sickening.

J.T.: Well, like what happened with the Dixie Chicks. A two-second comment cost them gigs and appearances.

Rickey: Yeah, I mean, I got my own opinions of the Dixie Chicks, man. You know what? We live in one of the greatest countries in the world, and that’s how they can become as wealthy as they’ve become. You know what I mean? By living in a place where they’ve had the opportunity to do that. But you know, man? At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, we live in a great nation and we should learn to appreciate what we’ve got. People…just take everything for granted, you know, and that’s a damn shame, man.

The prolific powerhouse that is Lynyrd Skynyrd rolls on, playing town after town with various acts such as Saliva, Hank Williams, Jr. and Kid Rock. The group has faithfully released new material, starting with the album Vicious Cycle in 2003 and the most recent edition to their eclectic repertoire, Gods And Guns, was released in September, 2009. While there are those fervent purists who believe that the real Lynyrd Skynyrd perished in a flash of flames in a swamp in Magnolia, Mississippi, the true tradition of Southern Rock has been loyally carried on, with still one more from the road just around the corner.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9MXvO_8BiM’]

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: Blackfoot, classic, Dayton Music, Freebird, guitar, guitarist, interview, J.T. Ryder, legend, Lynyrd Skynyrd, musician, Rickey Medlocke, rock, Rossington, Van Zant

Southern Boys, Simple Men

May 9, 2007 By J.T. Ryder Leave a Comment

Southern Rock Is Pronounced Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Well every time that I come home nobody wants to let me be
It seems that all the friends I got just got to come interrogate me
Well, I appreciate your feelings and I don’t want to pass you by
But I don’t ask you about your business, don’t ask me about mine”
~Gary Rossington/Ronnie VanZant

Don’t Ask Me No Questions

The iconic band that is Lynyrd Skynyrd is at once an ever changing amalgam of talent as well as a indestructible thread holding together the roots of American rock. From their auspicious beginnings, practicing in a carport in the summer of ’64 in Alabama, to their recent Rowdy Frynds tour with Hank Williams Jr., Lynyrd Skynyrd has remained true to their origins, playing the type of music that has made their name synonymous with “southern rock”.  The history of Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of tragedy, turmoil and triumph. Yet, throughout it all, their music plays a testament to the undying appeal of their sound and words.

The original line up of what was to become Lynyrd Skynyd was formed in 1964 with Bob Burns, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and Larry Junstrom. They practiced in the carport at Bob’s house, which gave inspiration for their original band name, “My Backyard”. “The Noble Five” quickly supplanted that name as the boys melded their Southern blues sound with the prevalent country influences that resonated throughout the south at that time. With the introduction into the mix of British invaders such as Free, The Beatles, Beck and Clapton, their sound was all but complete. There was an ever-changing roster of names that the group called themselves while they honed their sound; The Wildcats, The Sons of Satan, Conqueror Worm, The Pretty Ones and The One Percent. Then, one night at the Forrest Inn, Ronnie called out to the crowd, ‘Hey, we’re Leonard Skinner and we’re gonna play for y’all tonight’. Leonard Skinner, it should be noted, was the name of the gym teacher whom Gary and Ronnie had problems with on a regular basis. Most of the people in the crowd had had problems as well, so the new name was met with a thunderous applause. Later, the band would change the vowels in the name to y’s to “protect the guilty”.

            By 1970, having honed their musicianship in countless bars and taverns, Lynyrd Skynyrd cut some demos of the originals that they had accumulated, using Quin Ivy’s studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, returning in ’71 to make a full album at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Skynyrd was finally signed in 1972 by Al Kooper, who also produced their first three albums: pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd (1973), Second Helping (1974) and Nuthin’ Fancy (1975). They immediately caught the eye of Pete Townshend who signed them up as an opening act for The Who’s Quadrophenia Tour.

Skynyrd was promptly propelled into a world of fame that they may have yearned for, but were perhaps not wholly prepared to deal with. Various changes in the band’s line-up, exhaustive touring and an accelerated drug and alcohol intake served to create fissures in the once impervious Southern rock band. Tom Dowd stepped in as producer on the Gimme Back My Bullets album, bringing with him a discipline and focus the band desperately needed.

Steve Gaines filled the void that Ed King left during the Torture Tour, bringing the band back to it’s original three lead guitars. They once again became a tight performance group, as captured in the 1976 live album One More From The Road.  The revived Skynyrd next created Street Survivors, arguably the band’s best since Second Helping. The album cover showed the group engulfed in flames and one of the songs held the lyric “The smell of death surrounds you” which ominously alluded to an impending tragedy that loomed on the horizon.

On October 20, 1977, just three days after the release of Street Survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s tour plane, nicknamed “Freebird”, ran out of gas due to a mechanical failure, crashing into a marshy bog on Johnny Mote’s farm in Magnolia, Mississippi, killing band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, back-up vocalist and Steve’s sister Cassie Gaines. Skynyrd’s road manager, Dean Kilpatrick and the two pilots also died from the crash, as all of the deceased were in the front section that broke apart on impact. The other twenty or so passengers were injured to some degree or another. Powell’s nose had been utterly mangled, Gary Rossington suffered numerous broken bones and contusions, and Allen Collins had a hefty piece of metal embedded in his arm. Artimus Pyle, the drummer, managed to walk to get assistance, but suffered a shotgun blast by a person mistaking him for an intruder.

With only two of the original members surviving the crash, the days of Lynyrd Skynyrd seemed to have come to a fiery end. The label quickly pulled all the copies of “Street Survivors” depicting the band surrounded by flames. The following year, MCA records released the Muscle Shoals sessions and titled it Skynyrd’s First…and Last. Some of the members played with bands like Molly Hatchet, Alias and .38 Special. Gary Rossington and Allen Collins went on to form The Rossington Collins band in the early eighties after Rossington had undergone extensive surgeries to regain the use of his arm.

Tragedy still stalked the musicians when Artimus Pyle suffered a leg injury in a motorcycle accident, Allen Collins’ pregnant wife suddenly died and a 1984 car crash paralyzed both of Collins’ legs and killed his girlfriend. Collins died in 1990 after succumbing to pneumonia.

A 1987 concert commemorating the 1977 plane crash found Ronnie’s brother, Johnny Van Zant stepping into the spotlight as lead singer, showing the world that the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd was far from forgotten. Through many permutations over the years, Skynyrd has recorded several new albums, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performed innumerable concerts and held onto the sound that has made the freebird a phoenix of American rock and roll culture.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDrk5DBHle8′]

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: Allen Collins, Artimus Pyle, Cassie, Freebird, Gaines, Gary Rossington, J.T. Ryder, Johnny, Magnolia, Medlocke, Mississippi, plane crash, R, rock and roll, Ronnie, second helping, southern rock, Steve, Street Survivors, Van Zant

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Germanfest Picnic

11:00 am
dayton liederkrantz

Art on the Commons

11:00 am
Lincoln Park Commons

Freda’s Food Truck

11:00 am
Tipp City Park

Dayton BBQ Fest

11:00 am
The Brightside Event & Music Venue

CAT VIDEO FEST 2025

12:00 pm

Homearama 2025

12:00 pm
At Various Locations

Introducing… Cyanotype with Charmaine Boggs

1:00 pm
Dayton Society of Artists - DSA

St. Brigid Parish Festival

1:00 pm
St. Brigid Catholic School & Church

SALSA BRAVA

1:00 pm
Yellow Springs Brewery

Smoke on the Water – A Stillwater River Paddle, BBQ and Music Gathering

1:30 pm
The German Club Edelweiss

Street Beats Community Daze

2:00 pm
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

Small Business Support Sunday

2:00 pm
DNA Computers & Electronics Repair

British Afternoon Tea

3:30 pm
The Last Queen

Tasty Bacon Food truck

4:00 pm
Bourbon Barbers Dayton
+ 13 More

Week of Events

Mon 4

Tue 5

Wed 6

Thu 7

Fri 8

Sat 9

Sun 10

August 7 @ 6:00 pm - August 8 @ 8:00 pm

Field Production Workshop

Field Production Workshop

August 7 @ 6:00 pm - August 8 @ 8:00 pm

Field Production Workshop

Session 1 Camera Setup   What is in the case? Check to make sure you have everything before you leave...

$50.00
August 7 @ 6:00 pm - August 8 @ 8:00 pm

Field Production Workshop

August 8

Voices of America Country Music Festival

Recurring

Voices of America Country Music Festival

Recurring
August 8 Recurring

Voices of America Country Music Festival

The Voices of America Country Music Fest returns in August 2025. The multi-day event takes place in the heart of...

$94.99 – $424.69
10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Topped and Loaded

August 4 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Topped and Loaded

Topped and Loaded Baked potatoes, Fries, Tater Tots, Swirly Fries, waffle fries, curly fries, and Wedges. Many options and sides...

5:00 pm - 10:00 pm Recurring

$3 Burger Night

August 4 @ 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm Recurring

$3 Burger Night

From 5-10pm you can choose from the following: for $3 - it's a plain burger on a bun, $4 -...

$3
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cigar and Tequila Night

August 4 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cigar and Tequila Night

Calling all cigar and tequila lovers Join us Monday, August 4th for a night of premium tequilas paired with hand-rolled...

$35 – $40
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Trivia at The Greene

August 4 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Trivia at The Greene

Got a case of the Mondays?  Come in and enjoy a night of trivia, good food, drinks, and company. Join...

Free
6:45 pm

Stag’s Leap Wine Dinner

August 4 @ 6:45 pm

Stag’s Leap Wine Dinner

It's time again for our 5 course wine dinner! Come down and enjoy a taste of Italy in every bite!...

$95
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

LGBT AA group

August 4 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

LGBT AA group

The All-Inclusive Alcoholics Anonymous Group (AA) meeting was formed to be inclusive for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as...

7:30 pm - 11:30 pm Recurring

Justin’s LOTD Scotch Doubles Pool Tournament

August 4 @ 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm Recurring

Justin’s LOTD Scotch Doubles Pool Tournament

EVERY MONDAY NIGHT at Miami Valley Sports Bar - Justin's Famous Luck of the Draw Scotch Doubles Pool Tournament!!! Each...

$10.00
8:00 pm Recurring

Monday Night Laughs!

August 4 @ 8:00 pm Recurring

Monday Night Laughs!

  Join us every Monday at Oregon Express for Comedy Open Mic hosted by the hilarious G-Money! Sign-ups at 8:00PM...

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Freakin Ricans

August 5 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Freakin Ricans

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

How to Use Canva for Small Business

August 5 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

How to Use Canva for Small Business

An informational presentation discussing how Canva can be used to create promotional materials for your business. Canva is a free-to-use online...

4:00 pm - 11:00 pm Recurring

Half Price Wine every Tuesday at Whisperz Speakeasy

August 5 @ 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm Recurring

Half Price Wine every Tuesday at Whisperz Speakeasy

We're pouring amazing boutique wines from independent winemakers around the world at Whisperz Speakeasy, join us for a glass at...

Free
7:00 pm

NexDetour

August 5 @ 7:00 pm

NexDetour

In August, we add Tuesday shows starting with NexDetour on Aug. 5 an A Cappella Power trio   All shows...

Free
7:00 pm

Trivia Shark TUESDAY

August 5 @ 7:00 pm

Trivia Shark TUESDAY

Always a great time! $2 off apps from 6-9pm. Trivia Shark Join in the fun!!

7:00 pm

Trivia Night

August 5 @ 7:00 pm

Trivia Night

Trivia Night every Tuesday at 7 PM! Join us at Wings Sports Bar to eat, drink, and play! Test your...

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Live Trivia

August 5 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Live Trivia

Enjoy these drink specials while you play trivia • $2.99 Flavored Margaritas • $2.99 Long Islands

7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Recurring

Trivia with Rob

August 5 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Recurring

Trivia with Rob

Come test your brain, enjoy great food and drinks, and have some fun!

+ 2 More
10:30 am - 2:00 pm

Claybourne Grille

August 6 @ 10:30 am - 2:00 pm

Claybourne Grille

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wheel Fresh Pizza

August 6 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Wheel Fresh Pizza

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Trotwood Community Market (presented by American Legion Post 613)

August 6 @ 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Trotwood Community Market (presented by American Legion Post 613)

A celebration of locally sourced foods and products from small businesses in Trotwood and the surrounding communities! Stop by and...

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Miamisburg Farmers Market

August 6 @ 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Miamisburg Farmers Market

Miamisburg Farmers MarketAt Miamisburg Christian Church parking lot.1146 E. Central Ave in Miamisburg.Fresh Produce, sweet treats, food trucks and more..

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Tasty Bacon Food Truck

August 6 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Tasty Bacon Food Truck

Serving fresh Americana street food paired with signature sauces.   Sample menu

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Beckers SMASH-tastic Burgers

August 6 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Beckers SMASH-tastic Burgers

Single Single smash patty on a brioche bun $9.00 Single with Bacon Single smash patty and bacon on a brioche...

5:30 pm

Behind the Scenes at the Victoria Theatre

August 6 @ 5:30 pm

Behind the Scenes at the Victoria Theatre

Join AAF Dayton for a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic Victoria Theatre. Built in 1866, the Victoria is one of...

Free
6:00 pm

Trivia Night

August 6 @ 6:00 pm

Trivia Night

Kettering will be the newest spot to play Trivia Shark! The 1920's Prohibition Era themed restaurant serves American burgers, chicken...

+ 5 More
11:00 am

Lunchtime Trivia

August 7 @ 11:00 am

Lunchtime Trivia

Don't miss the chance to win one of four $25 gift cards for each round winner and a whopping $100...

11:00 am - 3:00 pm

ShowDogs HotDogs

August 7 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

ShowDogs HotDogs

All Beef Hot Dogs, Walking Tacos, Nachos, and Quesadillas! Veggie options available

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Squack’s Snack Shack

August 7 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Squack’s Snack Shack

Cheese Stix Golden cheese sticks featuring a savory blend of cheeses encased in a crispy coating, served with... $7.00 Chicken...

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

SaltyZ Pretzels

August 7 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

SaltyZ Pretzels

Classic Pretzel Freshly baked, golden brown, soft pretzel with a sprinkle of salt. $5.00 Mozzarella Pretzel Delicious pretzel filled with...

4:00 pm - 11:00 pm Recurring

$10 Tini Time every Thursday

August 7 @ 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm Recurring

$10 Tini Time every Thursday

Every Thursday night at Whisperz Speakeasy we'll be handcrafting an array of different fabulous martinis for just $10 each. Come...

Free
4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Schmidt’s Sausage Truck

August 7 @ 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Schmidt’s Sausage Truck

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Lily’s and Yellow Springs Brewery 12 year Beer Dinner:

August 7 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Lily’s and Yellow Springs Brewery 12 year Beer Dinner:

Here’s the menu for the dinner on Thursday, August 7 with two seating times( 5 & 7:30)  and the option...

$71
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

What The Taco?!

August 7 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

What The Taco?!

Chipotle Chicken Taco GRILLED CHICKEN, SHREDDED LETTUCE, PICO DE GALLO, CILANTRO SOUR CREAM & MONTEREY JACK $10.00 Ground Beef Taco...

+ 10 More
10:30 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Claybourne Grille

August 8 @ 10:30 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Claybourne Grille

11:30 am - 3:00 pm

Cousins Maine Lobster

August 8 @ 11:30 am - 3:00 pm

Cousins Maine Lobster

12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Recurring

Homearama 2025

August 8 @ 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm Recurring

Homearama 2025

The Homearama Touring Edition is back- inviting you to a self-guided summer adventure through some of the Miami Valley's most...

Free
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

What the Taco?!

August 8 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

What the Taco?!

Chipotle Chicken Taco GRILLED CHICKEN, SHREDDED LETTUCE, PICO DE GALLO, CILANTRO SOUR CREAM & MONTEREY JACK $10.00 Ground Beef Taco...

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Smoke’N Johnsons

August 8 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Smoke’N Johnsons

Smoke'n Pulled Pork Wood Fire Smoked, Tender and Juicy Pork Shoulder (butt). Hand pulled to remove most fat not rende......

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Xenia Food Truck Rallies Presents: “Sample & Stroll”

August 8 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Xenia Food Truck Rallies Presents: “Sample & Stroll”

Xenia Food Truck Rallies Presents: “Sample & Stroll”Date & Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PMLocation: Xenia Station – 150 S....

4:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Springfield Jazz and Blues Festival

August 8 @ 4:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Springfield Jazz and Blues Festival

Two days of Jazz & Blues on Two Stages -- 18 acts FREE Friday, August 8th, 2025 beginning at 4:00...

Free
5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

All Good Stuff

August 8 @ 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

All Good Stuff

ROAST, TOAST & BAKE…nothing fried. All family recipes. We love blessing people with good food. All Homemade foods, sauces &...

+ 14 More
8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Beer, Buzz & Breakfast

August 9 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Beer, Buzz & Breakfast

The annual Englewood Arts festival will kickoff on Saturday August 9th right in front of the brewery. It starts with...

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Shiloh Farmers Market

August 9 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Shiloh Farmers Market

The farmers’ market is located on the corner of Main St. & Philadelphia Dr, in the parking lot of Shiloh...

10:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

New Carlisle Farmer’s Market

August 9 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

New Carlisle Farmer’s Market

The New Carlisle Farmer's Market takes place every Saturday morning on Main Street. Come get lunch. Shop the market.  We'll have...

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Lawn

August 9 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Lawn

The 41st Annual Art on the Lawn art festival presented by The Village Artisans will be held Saturday, August 9th, 2025...

Free
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Lawn

August 9 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Lawn

More than 100 artists from Ohio and beyond will gather to show and sell their original fine art and fine...

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Freda’s Food Truck

August 9 @ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Freda’s Food Truck

11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Dayton Black Pride

August 9 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Dayton Black Pride

Continuing the celebration on Saturday, August 9th, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton. Join us for the...

Free
11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

THE MARKET

August 9 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

THE MARKET

Come shop all your favorite crafters and direct sale vendors at THE MARKET. The Market is held on the 2nd...

Free
+ 21 More
9:00 am - 12:00 pm Recurring

Downtown Troy Farmers’ Market

August 10 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Recurring

Downtown Troy Farmers’ Market

Downtown Troy Farmers' Market will run Saturday mornings 9:00 am to 12:00 pm from June 22nd, 2013 through September 21st,...

10:30 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Claybourne Grille

August 10 @ 10:30 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

Claybourne Grille

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Free Belly Dancing Class

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Free Belly Dancing Class

Free
11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Cruise-In to the Ice Cream Social

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Cruise-In to the Ice Cream Social

The annual Cruise-In to the Ice Cream Social returns on August 10 from 11am to 3pm to the Washington Township...

11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

Germanfest Picnic

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

Germanfest Picnic

Germanfest has been voted #3 festival in the region and was named by the Dayton Daily News as being in...

Free
11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Commons

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Art on the Commons

Back for its 37th year, the Art on the Commons Fine Arts and Crafts Festival features approximately one hundred artists...

Free
11:00 am - 5:00 pm Recurring

Freda’s Food Truck

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Recurring

Freda’s Food Truck

11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Dayton BBQ Fest

August 10 @ 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Dayton BBQ Fest

Join us for a ton of incredible BBQ, sides, and more all from some amazing food trucks at The Brightside...

Free
+ 13 More
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