Italian Fall Festa

Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Hello wonderful DMM readers!  I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and didn’t have to labor…or at least too much.  It was my high school reunion this weekend, but I did manage to make it to some of the Dayton festivals going on and I LOVED seeing all the wonderful people out there having fun!

There is another great week in store for you with even more festivals so I hope you are ready!  Get your smartphone calendar out (or, if you’re old-fashioned like me, your pencil and paper one) and arrange your schedule so you can fit in as much fun as possible!

On Wednesday, treat yourself to dinner and a margarita at Carmel’s for Fajita Madness.  Afterwards, get your toes tapping at Oregon Express with C. Wright’s Parlour Tricks.  Or bring out your Little Tikes trike (well, a guitar and a mic may be a better choice) and head on over to South Park Tavern for the Rock n’ Roll Play Date with Jay Madewell…and you thought play dates were just for kids!

On Thursday, support a wonderful cause and bring your spare change to McDonald’s for the Ronald McDonald House Charities DAY OF CHANGE.  The Notorious B.I.G. said “Mo Money, Mo Problems,” so that might be our cue to give a little bit back.  Who knew that rappers could be so wise?!?!  If you have a hot date planned for Thursday night (or if like me, you really just love your mom), head on over to PNC 2^nd Street Market to make your own flowers for that special someone as part of Fall Flower Arranging.  And if you don’t have a hot date, no worries!  Head on over to Generation Dayton’s ‘Thirsty Thursday’ at Beef O’Brady’s in Centerville to meet some awesome young professionals in the area for social networking!  And if you do have a hot date, perhaps you will want to head on over to the Crowne Plaza Stars Lounge to see the John Slate Trio.  Also, just to clear up any misconceptions – I am by no means a dating expert nor is this a dating advice /“Sex and the City” type column.  If you are looking for dating advice, you may want to…or rather NEED to look elsewhere.

Friday is a tough day for you if you have difficulty making decisions, as there are so many events from which to choose!  Head on over to the Vandalia Sister Cities Oktoberfest for some sauerkraut and good German beer, the Dayton Greek Festival for some amazing gyros, or the Italian Fall Festa for some more foods whose names I don’t know how to pronounce.  For those of you asking, yes, I am a speech pathologist; however, I never took classes in German or Italian.  I just eat the food.

Friday is also the evening to be downtown!  Check out Urban Nights (a must attend event), which happens only twice a year.  It is like Meijer’s in that it’s a one-stop shop for the city of Dayton.  You will be able to check out downtown’s art, music, retail, urban living, nightlife, and dining options.  If you enjoy cycling, I also hope you consider riding with the Urban Bikes at Urban Nights.  My mom says, “Don’t forget your helmet.”

Saturday has too many options to choose from as well!  Again check out one of the many festivals going on throughout the weekend:  the Vandalia Sister Cities Oktoberfest, the Dayton Greek Festival, and/or the Italian Fall Festa.  In addition, check out the 10^th Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival at Riverscape (just going on Saturday).  If you love arts and crafts, head on down to Miamisburg for the Miamisburg Starving Artists Outdoor Arts and Crafts Festival.  Don’t let the name fool you…there WILL be food there!

Also Saturday…do you have an old formal that has just been taking up space in your closet?  Then consider donating it to the Clothes That Work 2^nd Annual Royal Dress Drive to help underprivileged teens in the area attend their high school formals.  If you feel the need to burn off all those calories from all the eating and drinking you have been doing at festivals lately AND support the Miami Valley Crime Prevention Association, consider participating in the SPIKING ON CRIME Sand Volleyball Tournament at Setters.  If you love live music, head on over to Jackass Flats for the 5^th Annual Miami Valley Firefighter/EMS Memorial Association Concert.  And finally, in the evening, if you enjoy getting dressed up, listening to live music, dancing, eating great food, and supporting a great cause (listed in no particular order), head on over to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery for the Boonshoft Gala:  ReDiscover.  You are sure to discover a great time!

On Sunday, if you’re not watching the Browns game, consider heading out to Guitar Fest at Stubbs Amphitheater in Centerville or X Fest at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.  If you have a pooch that could use a good washing AND enjoy a good glass of wine (you, not your dog), head on over to A Taste of Wine in Miamisburg for Wine, Washes and Wet Noses.  All proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.  If you’re like me and can’t get enough of elé Cake Company’s buttercream icing, check out their Buttercream Fest 2010.  They’ll have lots of fun things including live music, food, crafts, a cruise-in, and a 5k (probably to balance out all those amazing buttercream treats they will have)!  And if  you didn’t get to make it to all those weekend festivals or had such a good time that you would like to go back, the Vandalia Sister Cities Oktoberfest, the Dayton Greek Festival, and the Italian Fall Festa will still be going strong!  Gosh, I feel exhausted just talking about all the stuff going on this week!  Decisions, decisions!

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

I went to the library to try to find a book on indecisiveness but I couldn’t decide which one to pick.

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!