• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Event Calendar
    • Submit An Event
  • About Us
    • Our Contributors
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Where to Pick up Dayton937
  • Arts & Entertainment
    • Art Exhibits
    • Comedy
    • On Screen Dayton
    • On Screen Dayton Reviews
    • Road Trippin’
      • Cincinnati
      • Columbus
      • Indianapolis
    • Spectator Sports
    • Street-Level Art
    • Visual Arts
  • Dayton Dining
    • Happy Hours Around Town
    • Local Restaurants Open On Monday
    • Patio Dining in the Miami Valley
    • 937’s Boozy Brunch Guide
    • Dog Friendly Patio’s in the Miami Valley
    • Restaurants with Private Dining Rooms
    • Dayton Food Trucks
    • Quest
    • Ten Questions
  • Dayton Music
    • Music Calendar
  • Active Living
    • Canoeing/Kayaking
    • Cycling
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Runners

Dayton937

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

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Crafting A Career: Lisa Grigsby

July 25, 2018 By Nancy Jones

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Telegram
  • Pocket
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Print

LMG headshot

Lisa Grigsby used her experience in the restaurant business to succeed in the comedy club world. She leveraged that experience to launch an event planning business, market Dayton’s film opportunities, and publicize community events.

In the beginning…

LMG age 4
Lisa at a tap recital, age 4

When Lisa Grigsby was growing up around Washington, DC, she thought she was going to be a banker, “because I always liked playing with cash registers and money”. Her interest in finance continued after her family moved to Chicago. “My junior and senior years in high school, I had an accounting class that I absolutely adored”. She also served as her high school football team’s statistician. Working with numbers felt right to her, and she began college at the University of Oklahoma as an Accounting major.

Lisa chose the University of Oklahoma for two reasons: it had a football team and nice dorms.  Although Oklahoma was “kind of culture shock”, she found a place with the football team as a trainer doing stats and other tasks. “I was the first woman team trainer in the Big Eight at the time…and my coach was not real pleased”. After several days of sending her “through (the dressing room) thinking it would rattle me”, he realized she was unflappable. She relished the work and says, “I got to go to some great bowl games”.

At the same time, Lisa discovered that accounting bored her. She stayed in business, however, and earned her degree in Marketing.

What did Lisa do after she graduated from college?

After graduation, Lisa returned to Chicago and got a job as a lingerie buyer for a department store. The job was more inventory management than marketing and lacked challenge. “I would dread getting up in the morning and going to work”. She lasted for nine months and quit.

While she considered her next steps, Lisa got a waitressing job. To her surprise, she recognized “that I really loved that”.

How did waitressing influence Lisa’s career path?

Lisa knew she wanted to do more than wait tables. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) was opening a Shaw’s Crab House in a Chicago suburb, and Lisa applied for a job.

Shaws-Crab-House-2

When she interviewed with the general manager, she noticed a picture of Phillips Crab House on the wall. She was familiar with Phillips from summer vacations and commented on the photo. After chatting for 30 minutes, the general manager created a plan to prepare Lisa for management by exposing her to all aspects of the restaurant. She waitressed, worked the bar, and finally spent time in the kitchen, so she would be able to perform any task.

One day a man sat down at one of her tables and pulled out a cigarette. In the 1980s, smoking was still permitted in restaurants. Lisa immediately pulled out her lighter and lit his cigarette. He said, “I really love your attitude,” and handed her a $100 bill. Then he introduced himself. He was Rich Melman, one of the LEYE owners and, thereafter, one of Lisa’s mentors.

Lisa had additional mentors who taught her the restaurant business, but eventually she was ready to move beyond Shaw’s. She found a manager’s spot in different restaurant.

How did football push Lisa into the comedy club business?

Lisa wanted to see the University of Oklahoma play in the Orange Bowl, but, since she was no longer with the team, she needed a second job to afford the trip. She started telemarketing for a comedy club, The Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant in Chicago. She worked from 10am to 2pm, calling people to say, “You just won Yuck for a Buck!” She got paid $0.15 per person who actually attended the show. After 2pm, she went to her restaurant job.

When Lisa decided that it was time to leave her restaurant job, she told the Funny Bone’s manager she needed a job and he offered her one. At that time, Lisa had never been to a comedy show, so she didn’t know what to expect. The manager said, “It’s got to be like running a restaurant… you just help seat people”.

In the 1980s comedy clubs were hot. The Funny Bone was located inside a hotel. The club handled ticket sales, the door and the talent, and the hotel ran the restaurant and bar. The manager was a comic.

After observing people often tipped her in order to sit up front, Lisa convinced the manager to offer VIP seating for $5.00 and pay her $1.00 for each one.  She also noticed the restaurant servers weren’t very attentive, so she met with the hotel’s food and beverage manager to let him know, “you’re missing sales and you’re leaving money on the table”. Each suggestion made her aware of the difference between the manager’s artistic brain and her business brain.

How did Lisa get started opening comedy clubs?

The Funny Bone’s corporate office noticed, “You guys are making a lot more money than you’ve ever made”. Consequently, the corporation’s representative came to visit. When he told Lisa they wanted to open another club, Lisa asked about their business and marketing plans. He said, “You’ve got a lot of questions; you want to do this?” He wrote Lisa a check for $50,000 and said, “Here’s your seed money; go find a place in Atlanta.”

Use FB signLisa identified the factors which helped the Chicago club draw an audience: the nearby presence of a TGI Fridays and close proximity to apartment complexes. She instructed a commercial realtor in Atlanta, “Find a spot that’s within a quarter mile of a TGI Fridays and it needs to be within a quarter mile of a highway”. The Atlanta club was successful and “I ended up opening 26 clubs around the country”.

Each time Lisa opened a new club, taking it from concept to operation, she chose the décor, contracted with vendors, hired staff and planned scheduling. She quickly “learned to take on more and more and not bother” the general office. Some clubs already had a manager, some wanted her to find a manager, and some said, “We’ve got this guy who’s not quite ready; see if you can get him in shape”.

Experience taught her to think quickly on her feet. “You have a show and you have a crowd full of people. The show starts at 8 o’clock and it’s 7 o’clock. (The limo company tells you the main act’s plane) is not going to land for another hour… all right what am I going to do?”

From football teams to comedy clubs, Lisa was used to working in male environments. “In the comedy club world, 90-95% comics are men” and it was her job to shepherd the them around town, including bars and strip clubs. “I had to take them to the radio in the morning… to promote the club…you’d knock on the door, they’d be hungover from being out drinking…I’d throw water on their face, get your clothes on!” “I just got used to working in that world”.

When did Lisa come to Dayton?

In 1991 Lisa had been working in comedy clubs for five years. She was in Covington, Kentucky teaching a new Funny Bone franchisee how to run the club, when she got a call seeking her recommendations for a manager for a comedy club in Dayton. Lisa asked, “Is it Wiley’s or Jokers?” The caller didn’t want to disclose that information, but Lisa pointed out, “Jokers has a full restaurant and bar and Wiley doesn’t, so they’re different skill sets”. She agreed to meet and signed a nondisclosure agreement in order to discuss the question further.

Jokers logoThe club in question was Jokers Comedy Cafe. Mike Bowling, creator of the Pound Puppy stuffed animals, had opened the club in 1985 and “had never made a penny”. Lisa agreed to come to Dayton for 90 days. “We’ll turn the club around and get the numbers all in line, then we’ll find a manager”. After about 60 days, Lisa reported the club’s numbers looked good and recommended they hire a manager. Instead, Bowling offered her the job for a year. Lisa declined, because “Dayton was probably the smallest city I’d been in” and she knew nothing about it.  “When I came here for 90 days, all I did was work that club”.

Bowling persisted. “At the time I had an apartment still in Cleveland, my winter clothes all in storage in St. Louis, expired plates on my car from Georgia and an expired driver’s license from Illinois, because all I was doing was going around from club to club”. Lisa decided that maybe it was time to settle in one place, “so I named what I thought was an outrageous amount of money and they said okay”. She agreed to stay for a year.

What led Lisa to work at Wiley’s Comedy Joint?

In 1992 Bowling sold the business to Tim Mehlman, a Cincinnati-based purchaser who had never owned a club. Lisa offered to stay for 90 days to teach him the business, and he agreed, but thereafter showed little interest. Consequently, Lisa continued to run the club. “At that point, I’d just gotten lazy…this is easy. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing”.

In 1993 all the paychecks bounced twice and Lisa handed in her notice. She agreed to stay on the condition that Mehlman remove himself as an authorized signer on the checking account, “so he couldn’t drain the club’s profits out of the account”. They continued to have disagreements, however, and a month later, Mehlman fired her without cause.

Use Wileys front
Wiley’s Comedy Joint, 101 Pine St, Dayton, OH 45402

Lisa immediately called Dan “Wiley” Lafferty of Wiley’s Comedy Joint, the other comedy club in Dayton. Over lunch, she offered to work for him for $100/week. “Until I figure out what my next step is… I got time on my hands and nothing to do”. When they went back to the club, Wiley interrupted their conversation to help move an ice machine. In the process, he cut his finger badly enough for a trip to the hospital, leaving Lisa alone at the club. In the course of that afternoon, she accepted deliveries, answered the phone and made reservations. “So I ended up working for Wiley’s”.

Since Lisa didn’t have a noncompete agreement with Jokers, she was free to call the agents handling the big name acts she’d booked at Jokers. She told them that if Jokers “doesn’t pay the deposit on this act, call me. I’ll honor that date at the club across town”. Three days later, the calls started coming in.

Gradually Lisa convinced Wiley to include urban comedy, which hadn’t been part of the repertoire. They “bring in a different crowd which means, hey, I have a larger audience to pull from”.

How did Lisa become the owner of Jokers Comedy Cafe?

In 1995 Mehlman defaulted on his balloon note, and Mike Bowling suddenly owned Jokers again.  He convinced Lisa to return to help him understand the club’s situation. Use Jokers RockAtell PromoThey learned that Mehlman hadn’t paid the sales tax, as well as owing numerous vendors. Lisa determined that Jokers owed around $65,000 in back sales taxes and even more to unpaid vendors. Bowling agreed that she would run Jokers for one year and at the end of the year, she would buy the business for the remaining amount of debt. A year later, Jokers was hers. Eventually, she bought the building, too.

In 1998 Lisa got involved in the Dayton community. It was summer and hot when a young woman came in to apply for a job wearing short shorts and a cropped top. When Lisa offered her something to drink, she asked for a beer. Lisa didn’t hire her. “That night it just kept bothering me. Why doesn’t she know any better? Who’s going to tell her?” The next day, Lisa searched for programs to train people for job readiness, and found a new program, Clothes That Work. She was their second volunteer.

Clothes That Work 2016
Clothes That Work Luncheon 2011 – Doris Ponitz, Lisa, Ginny Strausburg, Sue Zickefoose

Gradually Lisa realized that she liked Dayton. “You can do something in Dayton, have an idea, make it happen, watch it succeed and it doesn’t matter how deep your pockets are, because people here care and they will connect.”

When a prominent Dayton community leader, Doris Ponitz, suggested Lisa go through the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce’s yearlong Leadership Dayton program, Lisa balked. As a small business owner, it was expensive. She discovered, however, “it was a great eye opener to what Dayton has to offer, because I came here not really getting out of my little bubble, and I just worked in the club.” She gained an additional benefit. “It also made me have to trust my staff a little more, because I’d be away for a whole day, so they got to grow… That was a big growth experience for me”.

In the thirteeen years Lisa owned Jokers, she successfully operated in an essentially male-dominated business, expanding the club’s offerings with specialty shows, open-mike nights and corporate events. She also developed a reputation for nurturing rising young comedians.

Use FB front

In 2006 a tornado blew down the Jokers marquee and Miami Township wouldn’t allow Lisa to rebuild it. At the same time, The Funny Bone was about to open a 325-seat club at a new shopping and entertainment complex, The Greene. Lisa doubted Dayton was big enough for three comedy clubs, and she negotiated a merger of Jokers into the Funny Bone chain which included all of the Jokers staff. “I knew that this will either be great or a colossal failure, so I had a 6-month contract with them. I made it 9 months before they fired me”. Lisa fired an act she thought was “creepy and unethical”, but corporate management said, “you don’t run your own club anymore; this is our decision”.

What did Lisa do after she left the comedy business?

As Lisa was figuring out her next steps, she did some contract work for the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, Culture Works, the Aids Resource Center (ARC, now Equitas) and the Humane Society of Greater Dayton. ARC asked her several times to be their fulltime events planner. Once they negotiated a provision that Lisa could work her own hours (no mornings), Lisa agreed.

Art Ball
Lisa at the Dayton Art Institute’s Art Ball

Lisa loved the challenge of staging events for ARC in unusual venues, such as the Roundhouse at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. “It doesn’t have much electrical. It doesn’t have bathrooms, so it was a challenge to figure out how to make it work, how to put it together”. She was used to working frugally and finding ways to bring events in below budget added to the challenge.

By 2014 the ARC had become more “corporate” as the organization expanded in both scope and geographical reach, eventually rebranding itself as Equitas Health. “It wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. It had become too many layers of corporate for the entrepreneur in me”.

What did Lisa do next?

In 2008, sponsored by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and some major corporations, Richard Florida came to Dayton to kick off DaytonCREATE, a yearlong effort to inventory the community’s assets and to assist the community with developing some practical ideas to persuade talented youth to stay in Dayton. (Dayton Daily News, April 6, 2008)  Lisa participated as a Catalyst (volunteer).

During the process, DaytonCREATE founded FilmDayton as a film festival and identified the need for a community calendar. Dayton Most Metro, a downtown message board, became the source for event information and positive news and reviews. Lisa got involved in both.

When Lisa left the Aids Resource Center in 2014, FilmDayton was out of money. Lisa volunteered to work for the summer to get it on firm ground.  Since then, she has continued as the Executive Director.

Previously, Dayton had partnered with Columbus and Cincinnati to petition the State of Ohio to adopt a tax incentive to foster a film industry in Ohio. The State created the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit (OMPTC), but it didn’t help Dayton much, because most movies were made in Cincinnati and Cleveland. In 2016 the Board of Trustees of FilmDayton decided to shift from a film festival to a film commission to market the area as a film production location. After Lisa earned her official certification as a film commissioner, FilmDayton relaunched as a film commission in April 2016.

Premiere of The Way

Premiere of The Way with Lisa, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Ron Rollins, Karri O’Reilly, Shaunn Baker and Eva Buttacavoli

As the film commissioner, Lisa reaches out to movie directors to encourage them to film in Dayton. “In a perfect world, you fly them in and get a copy of the script and go okay here’s what your script would look like in our town. (Except) FilmDayton doesn’t have any money, so that’s really hard to do”. Lisa works with Film Cincinnati to encourage producers to employ people from Dayton and promote Dayton as a scene location. For example, Miles Ahead, a biopic about Miles Davis, was based in Cincinnati, but the director filmed scenes at the Refraze Recording Studios in Kettering and the Montgomery County jail.

In order to demonstrate the economic impact, Lisa persuaded “a couple of the County Commissioners to come do a (movie) set tour, so they could see what goes into the business of film,” including the cast of 12 or 15, around 100 extras, a crew of 75, the food, the parking, etc. Consequently, the County awarded FilmDayton a small contract to expand its work.

LMG pouring beer
Lisa pouring beer for Dayton Most Metro

In addition, Lisa developed Dayton Most Metro into an online magazine covering a variety of topics such as such as Arts & Entertainment, Dayton Music, Dayton Theatre, Active Living and Community. Dayton Dining is her favorite.

Dayton dining
Dayton Dining Facebook page

She started Dayton Dining as a newsletter to publicize Dayton restaurants and eventually added it to Dayton Most Metro. “I think I still have the heart of a restaurateur and I know how hard it was when you’re in the day-to-day”. Restaurant owners may intend to work on marketing, but then “the dishwasher didn’t show”.

Also in May 2014, Lisa “decided to take the summer to put together a business plan to launch Planned2Give”, an event planning business she created with Jeff Jackson. Before they could finalize the plan, however, Jeff started getting calls. Many nonprofits recognized it was cheaper to hire Planned2Give than to keep an event planner on staff. With Anthony Bourdain

What is Lisa doing now?

Currently Lisa works part-time as the Executive Director of FilmDayton and runs Planned2Give with Jeff.  She also manages Dayton Most Metro as a volunteer. It gives “me all these things to work on and I can work on all of them autonomously when I need to… Keeps me from doing the same old, same old”.

Lisa’s observations:

  • Take more chances
  • Figure out what success looks like for you, not for someone else
  • Meet people for the fun of it; don’t always have an ulterior motive
  • Don’t bitch; find a way to make it better
  • Get out of your comfort zone
  • Explore; there’s tons to do
  • Get involved
  • If what you want doesn’t exist, get out and start it

    class of 2016 woi

    YWCA Dayton Women of Influence class of 2016

  • Find partners, trust them and don’t micromanage them
  • “Sometimes you have to do things just because, and not because it’s going to benefit you at that moment. You’re just building goodwill somewhere along the line”.

“The overriding thing to my whole life is I don’t panic…things are just going to happen as they’re supposed to. Or maybe they’re not the plan I had, but nobody knew that plan and however it comes out, it comes out…I never knew what comedy club I was going to open. I never had a plan to buy a comedy club. My fall back is always that I can still waitress… that gives you a lot of freedom. The worst that’s going to happen is they’ll fire me”.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Telegram
  • Pocket
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Community, The Featured Articles Tagged With: FilmDayton, Jokers Comedy Cafe, Lisa Grigsby

About Nancy Jones

Ms. Jones shares the stories of real people and the twists and turns their career paths took as they found their direction.

Crafting a Career enables her to do what she loves (writing) while satisfying her curiosity about how other people create their careers outside of traditional pathways. So far she's discovered that each person she's interviewed has certain interests and aptitudes woven into the fabric of their career. Read more of her stories at CraftingACareer.com


[fbcomments width="700" count="on" num="15" countmsg="Comments"]

Primary Sidebar

Submit An Event to Dayton937

- Featured Events -

Loading view.
  • Previous week
  • Next week

$1 Oysters

11:00 am
Club Oceano

Mommy and Me Yoga

6:00 pm
The Well: A Center for Women's Wellness

Community Fitness Bootcamp

6:00 pm
RiverScape MetroPark

Cracking the Cold Read

6:00 pm
The Human Race Theatre Company

1st Bike Night of the Season

6:00 pm
The Barrel

Wine Tasting Class

6:30 pm
Jayne's on Main

Monday Trivia Night

6:30 pm
The Pub

Chess Club!

6:30 pm
Blind Bob's Bar

Mystic Yoga with WendyBird

7:00 pm
Mystic Life

LGBT AA group

7:00 pm
Greater Dayton LGBT Center

Home Ave DIY Skatepark Fundraiser

12:00 am
+ 3 More

Freakin Ricans Food Truck

8:30 am
Amazon Fulfillment Center

Timeless Tacos Food Truck

10:30 am
Deuce Shirts

Schmidt’s Sausage Truck

12:00 pm
O'Reilly Auto Parts Germantown

Half Price Wine every Tuesday

4:00 pm
Whisperz Speakeasy

Try Mountain Biking

4:00 pm
Huffman/MoMBA

Tai Chi & Qigong at the River

6:00 pm
RiverScape MetroPark

Empowering Dayton: Real Lives, Real Rights

6:00 pm
Dayton Metro Library - Northwest Branch

The Spring Wine Tasting

6:00 pm
Meridien Uptown

Charcuterie Board Making Class

6:00 pm
Brick & Beam

Director’s Cut Wine Dinner

6:30 pm
Carrabba's Italian Grill

Yin Yoga with Sarah

7:00 pm
Energy Enhancement Experience Dayton

Open Mic Night

8:00 pm
Peach's Grill
+ 4 More

Evolve Women’s Network

9:00 am
Prime Time Party Rental

ILLYS Fire Pizza

9:45 am
Amazon Fulfillment Center

Fairborn Farmers Market

10:00 am
Fairborn Farmers Market

Preschool Storytime with Chef Lester

10:30 am
Dayton Metro Library - Miami Township Branch

Adult Stretch

1:00 pm
Franklin-Springboro Public Libary

Beckers SMASH-tastic Burgers

5:00 pm
Devil Wind Brewing

Wannabe Tacos

5:30 pm
Courtyard Lounge

Paella and Sangria

6:00 pm
Manna Uptown

Community Fitness Bootcamp

6:00 pm
RiverScape MetroPark

Pinball Flip Out Tournament

6:30 pm
Loose Ends Brewing

Trivia

7:00 pm
Chappy's Social House

Comedian Nate Bargatze

7:00 pm
Nutter Center

Trivia Night at Alematic

7:00 pm
Alematic Artisan Ales

Puzzle Feud

7:00 pm
Dayton Beer Company

Iggy’s Ragu Food Truck

7:30 pm
Two Social
+ 7 More

3rd Anniversary Celebration

11:00 am
Greek Street

Lebanon Farmers Market

4:00 pm
Bicentennial Park

Godown’s Fixins

4:00 pm
New Carlise Food Truck Night

New Carlisle Food Truck Rally

4:00 pm
New Carlise Food Truck Night

Detroit-Style Deep-Dish Pizza Night

4:00 pm
Little Fish Brewing Co.

Mini food truck rally in support of BL BBQ & Karaoke DJ Food Truck

5:00 pm
mack's tavern

Thursday Night Wine Tastings at Meridien

5:00 pm
Meridien Uptown

Grapes & Groves

5:00 pm
Heather's Coffee & Cafe

Sunset at the Market

5:00 pm
2nd Street Market

Taste of Troy

5:00 pm
Downtown Troy

Iggy’s Ragu Food Truck

5:00 pm
mack's tavern

Fun Trivia! Prizes!

7:00 pm
Bock Family Brewing

Dead Serious: An Evening with Travis Holp

7:30 pm
Dayton Funny Bone Comedy Club
+ 5 More

Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast

7:00 am
RiverScape MetroPark

Hot Yoga & Reiki

9:00 am
Gem City Holistic Wellness

Hamvention 2025

9:00 am
greene county fairgrounds

Par-Tee Around Cross Pointe

9:00 am
Cross Pointe Center

Topped and Loaded

9:30 am
Amazon Fulfillment Center

La Orangette

10:30 am
Dayton Christian School

Scarlett Trust: Well-Balanced

11:00 am
The Contemporary Dayton

Sisters: A Cyanotype Series by Suzi Hyden

12:00 pm
Dayton Society of Artists - DSA

PEACE TALKS: DSA’s Spring Juried Exhibition

12:00 pm
Dayton Society of Artists - DSA

Dayton Home Expo

12:00 pm
Montgomery County Fairgrounds

90th Anniversary Celebration And Steak Dinner To Support Box 21

5:00 pm
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3283

The Lumpia Queen

5:00 pm
Riverfront Park

Spring Fest in the Burg

5:00 pm
Riverfront Park

Laura Sanders: Force of Nature Opening Reception

6:00 pm
The Contemporary Dayton

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

7:30 pm
Actor's Theatre Fairborn
+ 11 More

Tie Dye 50K

7:30 am
John Bryan Center

34th Annual Furry Skurry 5K

8:00 am
St. Leonard Franciscan Living

What the Taco?!

8:00 am
St Leonard

Yellow Springs Farmers Market

8:00 am
John Bryan Community Center

Corvette Cars and Coffee

9:00 am
air force museum

Greene County Farmers Market

9:00 am
Beavercreek Farmers Market

Hamvention 2025

9:00 am
greene county fairgrounds

Spring Fest Parade

9:30 am
Downtown Miamisburg

Sculpt with Speakeasy

10:00 am
RiverScape MetroPark

Farmers Market at The Heights

10:00 am
Eichelberger Amphitheater

The Grazing Ground Market

10:00 am
The Grazing Ground

Dayton Spring Home Expo

10:00 am
Montgomery County Fairgrounds

The Lumpia Queen

10:00 am
Riverfront Park

Plane Talks

10:30 am
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Pride Rocks!

11:00 am
Levitt Pavilion

DLM Brisket Sandwich Cookout

11:00 am
Dorothy Lane Market

Ralph’s Mystery Food

11:00 am
Miami County Fairgrounds

Miami County Food Truck Rally & Competition

11:00 am
Miami County Fairgrounds

Kettering Food Truck Rally

12:00 pm
Kettering VFW

11th Anniversary Beer Bash

12:00 pm
Warped Wing Brewing Company

Road House Grill

12:00 pm
Inspired Gardens

Sisters: A Cyanotype Series by Suzi Hyden

12:00 pm
Dayton Society of Artists - DSA

PEACE TALKS: DSA’s Spring Juried Exhibition

12:00 pm
Dayton Society of Artists - DSA

Women’s Wine & Chocolate Walk 2025

12:00 pm
The Windamere

May Biergarten

5:00 pm
Dayton Liederkranz Turner German Club

Tyrus Live ⭐️”What It Is”⭐️ Tour

7:30 pm
Sorg Opera House

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

7:30 pm
Actor's Theatre Fairborn
+ 21 More

Good Neighbor 5k

8:30 am
Dorothy Lane Market Washington Square

Plein Air Paint Out

9:00 am
FEN RUN FARMS

Hamvention 2025

9:00 am
greene county fairgrounds

Goal Hike for Women-Owned Business

10:00 am
RiverScape MetroPark

Drag Me to Brunch

10:00 am
Sorg Opera House

The Grazing Ground Market

10:00 am
The Grazing Ground

Raptor Photography

10:00 am
Glen Helen

Dayton Spring Home Expo

11:00 am
Montgomery County Fairgrounds

Third Sunday Art Hop at Art Encounters

11:00 am
Front Street Studios

Turkish Food Festival

11:00 am
Turkish American Society of Ohio

Dayton Vegan Spring Market

12:00 pm
Courthouse Square

The Forking Pierogi

12:00 pm
Centerville Merchant Market

Centerville Merchant Market

12:00 pm
St Leonard

Twisted Greek

12:00 pm
Centerville Merchant Market

The Lumpia Queen

12:00 pm
Riverfront Park

Fleurs de Fête – Wine Festival

1:00 pm
Carillon Historical Park

THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN

2:00 pm
Dayton Playhouse

In Praise of Peace – Bach Society choral concert

4:00 pm
Kettering Adventist Church
+ 12 More

Week of Events

Mon 12

Tue 13

Wed 14

Thu 15

Fri 16

Sat 17

Sun 18

11:00 am - 9:00 pm Recurring

$1 Oysters

May 12 @ 11:00 am - 9:00 pm Recurring

$1 Oysters

all day monday oysters are just $1 when ordered in increments of 6 valid in the bar or at tables

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Mommy and Me Yoga

May 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Mommy and Me Yoga

You asked for it, and here it is- EVENING Mommy and Me Yoga at The Well! https://bit.ly/mommyandmeyogathewell But it's not...

$18
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Recurring

Community Fitness Bootcamp

May 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Recurring

Community Fitness Bootcamp

Join The Unit for an exciting bootcamp workout that will take you through RiverScape in a whole new way. Whether...

Free
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cracking the Cold Read

May 12 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Cracking the Cold Read

Terrified you’ll be handed a scene you’ve never read before for an audition, on set, or in a rehearsal room?...

$20
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

1st Bike Night of the Season

May 12 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

1st Bike Night of the Season

Come join us for the first barrel bike night of the year this Monday starting at six. Live music, drinks,...

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Wine Tasting Class

May 12 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Wine Tasting Class

Our resident sommelier, Brian DeMarke, will be in for his monthly wine-tasting class. Try a variety of wines and learn...

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Monday Trivia Night

May 12 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Monday Trivia Night

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

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Chess Club!

May 12 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Recurring

Chess Club!

The club is open to players of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced players.

Free
+ 3 More
8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Freakin Ricans Food Truck

May 13 @ 8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Freakin Ricans Food Truck

10:30 am - 2:00 pm

Timeless Tacos Food Truck

May 13 @ 10:30 am - 2:00 pm

Timeless Tacos Food Truck

12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Schmidt’s Sausage Truck

May 13 @ 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Schmidt’s Sausage Truck

4:00 pm Recurring

Half Price Wine every Tuesday

May 13 @ 4:00 pm Recurring

Half Price Wine every Tuesday

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

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Try Mountain Biking

May 13 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Try Mountain Biking

It's fun, FREE and a chance to check off some 2025 MetroParks Trails Challenge Trails! Try Mountain Biking is this...

Free
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Tai Chi & Qigong at the River

May 13 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Tai Chi & Qigong at the River

Offered by Immortal Tree Qigong. Each hour-long Tai Chi & Qigong session will start with breathing exercises, warm up, and...

Free
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Recurring

Empowering Dayton: Real Lives, Real Rights

May 13 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Recurring

Empowering Dayton: Real Lives, Real Rights

Dayton United for Human Rights is an electrifying movement that empowers our community to take bold action for justice and equality!...

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The Spring Wine Tasting

May 13 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

The Spring Wine Tasting

Get your palates ready to sip and savor over 30 different wines from the top vendors in the area! This...

$50
+ 4 More
9:00 am - 10:30 am Recurring

Evolve Women’s Network

May 14 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am Recurring

Evolve Women’s Network

Evolve is all about creating an Authentic Community, Deeper Connections, and Confident Growth. We are a group of entrepreneurial women...

9:45 am - 3:00 pm Recurring

ILLYS Fire Pizza

May 14 @ 9:45 am - 3:00 pm Recurring

ILLYS Fire Pizza

We are a mobile wood fired pizza company that specialize in turkey products such as Turkey pepperoni, Italian Turkey sausage,...

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Fairborn Farmers Market

May 14 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Fairborn Farmers Market

The Fairborn Farmers Market was established with the intent to provide the Fairborn community access to fresh and wholesome products...

Free
10:30 am - 11:30 am Recurring

Preschool Storytime with Chef Lester

May 14 @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am Recurring

Preschool Storytime with Chef Lester

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop the language, literacy, and social skills your...

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Adult Stretch

May 14 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Adult Stretch

Adults ages 16 and up are invited to an afternoon session of stretching and more! Donna Gambino is owner of...

Free
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

Beckers SMASH-tastic Burgers

May 14 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

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 - 8:00 pm Recurring

Wannabe Tacos

May 14 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm Recurring

Wannabe Tacos

Dayton area business serving up tacos, tots and dogs. Our specialty all-beef hots and loaded tots are piled high. And...

6:00 pm

Paella and Sangria

May 14 @ 6:00 pm

Paella and Sangria

Join Manna Uptown for an evening of al-fresco dining and delicious springtime sipping! Chef Margot will be making her famous...

$69
+ 7 More
11:00 am - 9:00 pm

3rd Anniversary Celebration

May 15 @ 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

3rd Anniversary Celebration

Greek Street celebrates 3 incredible years as a brick and mortar, serving up the flavors of Greece right here in...

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Lebanon Farmers Market

May 15 @ 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Lebanon Farmers Market

The Lebanon Farmers Market is open 4 pm to 7 pm every Thursday mid-May through mid-October.  We are located in...

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Godown’s Fixins

May 15 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Godown’s Fixins

We serve waffle bun sandwiches, dessert waffles and our specialty is deep fried mashed potatoes!

4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

New Carlisle Food Truck Rally

May 15 @ 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

New Carlisle Food Truck Rally

Fifty5 Rivers BARge Godown’s Fixins Thai1On 

4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Detroit-Style Deep-Dish Pizza Night

May 15 @ 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Detroit-Style Deep-Dish Pizza Night

The 3rd Thursday of every month is our highly anticipated Detroit-Style Deep-Dish pizza night! As always, we'll have cheese, pepperoni,...

5:00 pm

Mini food truck rally in support of BL BBQ & Karaoke DJ Food Truck

May 15 @ 5:00 pm

Mini food truck rally in support of BL BBQ & Karaoke DJ Food Truck

Mini food truck rally in support of BL BBQ & Karaoke DJ Food Truck.  A local food truck driver was...

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Thursday Night Wine Tastings at Meridien

May 15 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Thursday Night Wine Tastings at Meridien

Our reps choose a handful of great wines every week for tasting.  Purchase individual tastes or a flight.  If you...

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Grapes & Groves

May 15 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Recurring

Grapes & Groves

Join us every Thursday to Taste Wine at your own pace. Each Thursday we will have one of our highly...

+ 5 More
7:00 am - 9:00 am

Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast

May 16 @ 7:00 am - 9:00 am

Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast

There will be free flying pancakes and plenty of fun to be had at MetroParks' Bike to Work Day Pancake...

Free
9:00 am Recurring

Hot Yoga & Reiki

May 16 @ 9:00 am Recurring

Hot Yoga & Reiki

Come join us for hot yoga class Fridays at 8:00a!!! $25 Drop-In; yoga packages and memberships available! We're going to...

$25
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Hamvention 2025

May 16 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Hamvention 2025

Hamvention, the world's largest amateur radio gathering at Greene County Fairgrounds. Sponsored by Dayton Amateur Radio Association. Hamvention boasts over...

9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Par-Tee Around Cross Pointe

May 16 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Par-Tee Around Cross Pointe

Travel around Cross Pointe Centre, visit these 9 stores, play mini golf and after 9 holes turn in your score...

Free
9:30 am - 3:00 pm

Topped and Loaded

May 16 @ 9:30 am - 3:00 pm

Topped and Loaded

10:30 am - 2:00 pm

La Orangette

May 16 @ 10:30 am - 2:00 pm

La Orangette

Acai Bowl Acai berries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, blended with banana. Topped with granola... $13.00 Smoothie Bowls All Natural Smoothie...

11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Scarlett Trust: Well-Balanced

May 16 @ 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Scarlett Trust: Well-Balanced

Scarlett Trust is an interdisciplinary artist who recently received her MFA from CalArts and lives in the Dayton region. Trust’s...

Free
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Recurring

Sisters: A Cyanotype Series by Suzi Hyden

May 16 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Recurring

Sisters: A Cyanotype Series by Suzi Hyden

The Dayton Society of Artists is pleased to present Sisters, a cyanotype series by our member Suzi Hyden. This show...

Free
+ 11 More
7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tie Dye 50K

May 17 @ 7:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tie Dye 50K

John Bryan is the most scenic state park in western Ohio. The 752-acre park contains a remarkable limestone gorge cut...

$45
8:00 am - 12:00 pm

34th Annual Furry Skurry 5K

May 17 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

34th Annual Furry Skurry 5K

Unleash the adventure at the 34th Annual Furry Skurry 5K – a paw-some day of heroic fun alongside your four-legged...

$40 – $80
8:00 am - 12:00 pm

What the Taco?!

May 17 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

What the Taco?!

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

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Yellow Springs Farmers Market

May 17 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Yellow Springs Farmers Market

For over 20 years this market has been made up of a hardworking group of men, women and children, dedicated...

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Corvette Cars and Coffee

May 17 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Corvette Cars and Coffee

Calling all Corvette lovers! This cruise-in will have classic and modern models on display from all over the Miami Valley....

Free
9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Greene County Farmers Market

May 17 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Greene County Farmers Market

The outdoor Farmers Market on Indian Ripple Rd. in Beavercreek runs Saturdays, 9-1 even during the winter months. Check out...

9:00 am - 5:00 pm Recurring

Hamvention 2025

May 17 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Recurring

Hamvention 2025

Hamvention, the world's largest amateur radio gathering at Greene County Fairgrounds. Sponsored by Dayton Amateur Radio Association. Hamvention boasts over...

9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Spring Fest Parade

May 17 @ 9:30 am - 5:00 pm

Spring Fest Parade

Parade sign ups are now live on burgspringfest.com! This year’s Spring Fest theme is Burgchella! Think Coachella festival vibes- flower...

+ 21 More
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Good Neighbor 5k

May 18 @ 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Good Neighbor 5k

Lace up for our Good Neighbor 5k on Sunday, May 18! Together with our friends at locally owned and operated...

$20 – $25
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Plein Air Paint Out

May 18 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Plein Air Paint Out

Calling all artists…here is your chance to paint or draw on a property protected by Tecumseh Land Trust. We supply...

Free
9:00 am - 1:00 pm Recurring

Hamvention 2025

May 18 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Recurring

Hamvention 2025

Hamvention, the world's largest amateur radio gathering at Greene County Fairgrounds. Sponsored by Dayton Amateur Radio Association. Hamvention boasts over...

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Goal Hike for Women-Owned Business

May 18 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Goal Hike for Women-Owned Business

This isn't your average networking event—we're hitting the trails for a morning of fresh air, real talk, and creative inspiration....

$20
10:00 am - 1:30 pm

Drag Me to Brunch

May 18 @ 10:00 am - 1:30 pm

Drag Me to Brunch

Art Central Foundation is pleased to welcome the incomparable Rubi Girls back to the stage of the historic Sorg Opera...

$30 – $45
10:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

The Grazing Ground Market

May 18 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Recurring

The Grazing Ground Market

Welcome to The Grazing Ground Market, your local destination for farm-fresh eggs, seasonal produce, and handcrafted items. We take pride...

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Raptor Photography

May 18 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Raptor Photography

May 18: Join us in the Baldwin Pond meadow for an opportunity to capture stunning pictures of hawks,owls, and falcons...

$50
11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

Dayton Spring Home Expo

May 18 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Recurring

Dayton Spring Home Expo

FREE ADMISSION This free event is the perfect opportunity for homeowners to save BIG on all home improvement projects and...

Free
+ 12 More
View Calendar

Join the Dayton937 Newsletter!

Trust us with your email address and we'll send you our most important updates!
Email:  
For Email Marketing you can trust
Back to Top

Copyright © 2025 Dayton Most Metro · Terms & Conditions · Log in

%d