Rum Raid for The Castle is a rum tasting being held this coming Wed, Oct 11th at The Steam Plant as a fundraiser for The Castle, a vital part of the mental health delivery system in Montgomery County. They provide a place for peer support, a place to have fun while learning responsibility, accountability and gaining some empowerment over the leisure time.
Ticket holders will have the choice to taste the rum straight up or mixed in a cocktail.Rum Raid for The Castle is a rum tasting being held this coming Wed, Oct 11th at The Steam Plant!
Some rums are made for mixing into cocktails, others are good enough to sip straight. This event will help you learn the nuances of types of rum on the market. Age, distillation method, and even place of origin all work in tandem to create different varieties of the spirit, each with a distinct use, profile, and history.
Here’s an idea of what you’ll be able to taste at the event:
Spiced Rum– Broadly speaking, this popular variation is defined as any rum that’s infused with myriad herbs and spices. According to the Rum Lab, spiced rum came about as a way to make rum more palatable, since “fresh” rum packed a good amount of potency back in the day.
Gold Rum – Vanilla, coconut, citrus, and caramel are some of the tasting notes that you might find in a gold or amber rum, which hit the sweet spot between light and dark rums in terms of both aging time and taste. These medium-bodied rums get their color from added caramel or being aged in pale oak barrels and lean a touch sweeter to taste, with a subtle buttery richness that makes for a pleasant on-the-rocks sipping experience.
White Rum – If you like piña coladas, you probably like light rum (and maybe, getting caught in the rain). The most common type of rum, white rum is light in body, sweet in flavor, and has a pleasantly mild character. While it’s still made from sugarcane juice or molasses white rum is typically only aged for about a year.
Dark Rum – A well-aged dark rum boasts hints of brown sugar, toffee, and sometimes vanilla and honey, which lend well to enjoying the spirit straight to let each layer of flavor shine. You’ll find them in stalwarts like a Dark ‘N’ Stormy, Hurricane, or Painkiller.
Black Rum – First popularized in the post-Prohibition era as a cocktail mixer (the idea was to make it the base of a punch), black rum was meant to mimic the look of a deeply aged rum at a lower price point, according to Martin Cate, author of “Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum and the Cult of Tiki.” The spirit is aged for three years in white oak and crafted with fermented molasses, so it offers much more body and interest.
Aged Rum – Aged rums get their warm, toasty hue from sitting in barrels for extended periods of time. Despite the labor in making this style of rum, it’s grown quite popular in recent years, taking its cues from the careful, regionally tied distillation methods of Scotch and whiskey, resulting in a nuanced, quaffable spirit. Of course, these rums are relatively rare by nature since they take so long to come to fruition.
Flavored Rum – Quite simply, any rum with flavoring agents added that aren’t natural spices or the infusions you might find in spiced rums. These rums begin with a neutral, sweet base of rum before the flavorings and colorings are added. This is a pretty broad category with options ranging from simple tropical infusions (think pineapple and coconut) to more involved flavor profiles like coffee, chocolate, and cherry vanilla
English Style Rum – Modern-day British rums are characterized by the distilling method (now made using a mix of pot and column distilling) as well as a wild yeast-fermented molasses base rather than cane juice. These sweet, rich expressions are great on the rocks
French Style Rum (Rhum) – Rhums, which hail from the French Caribbean, are all produced in column stills using sugar cane juice fermented for up to five days. The resulting flavor is softly sweet, with fresh grassy undertones and elegant hints of floral notes.
Be sure and bring $ for a chance to dig for a prize in the treasure chest. It will be stuffed with items from Ignite Yoga, TITLE Boxing Club Kettering, Mamma Disalvo’s, McAlister’s Deli, Geez Grill & Pub, 937 Party Bus, Malibu Rum, Meadowlark Restaurant, Agave & Rye Centerville, Manna Uptown, J Alexander’s, Mike’s Carwash, Sweet Treats Festival, Flying Ace Express Car Wash, Black Rock Bar & Grill and more!
WiBN’s Leadership Conference is one of the most talked-about annual events of the year for women in business. This year, they expect 300+ women to gather at this in-person event, which will help attendees “Grow, Stretch, Thrive” – the theme for this year. The event is designed by women for women and will bring solid and unique insights to change how your business gets done.
Now is the time to register before the early bird discount expires on September 1. Early bird registration fee for BBB Accredited Businesses & Charities & WiBN Members is only $129 per person. The rate for others to attend is $149 during early bird registration. Rates go up $20 for attendees beginning September 2. There is also a special rate of $89 for students.
The first 75 people who purchase 4 chances or more will enjoy exclusive access to the VIP High Roller’s Lounge at the event!
Jackie O & Cherry Poppins will return to host the party, Gem City Burlesque will also make a return this year with performances that are sure to titillate. Regional Events Manager for Equitas, Jostin Schimmoeler also shared he has several other cool entertainers lined up, but he can’t reveal them until contracts are signed.
There are 2 Ticket options for Masquerage:
On Saturday, August 5, 2023, beginning at 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., 
Sophia Learning Center was founded in 2019 and is a Christ-centered preschool and private kindergarten located in Kettering that works alongside of parents to train up world
How to Go: 5K for Kelli on Saturday, August 19th at 9am at Wegerzyn MetroPark
It’s time to travel again….and even though I use AlphaTrips to highlight cities and towns close to our beloved Dayton, it’s time to TRAVEL beyond. 4 and a half hours from Dayton’s city center is one of America’s great big cities…CHICAGO! Flanked by the beauty of Lake Michigan, highlighted by the amazing skyscrapers, filled with world-class hotels and dotted with more parks than you can shake a stick at…Chicago is vibrant again. Gone are the annoying masks, plastic dividers, and spacing that kept us all at bay. Back is an oasis for shoppers, a playground for water lovers, and a fulfillment for music and art aficianados.
For me and the gang I traveled with, we found a ton to do! Plopping ourselves at the Viceroy on State Street…we were near the beating heart of the town. A short walk to Michigan Ave. and you could feel it…life is BACK! On the streets families with popcorn, lovers holding hands and obnoxious drivers laying on their horns in hopes they get much needed attention! Shopping felt good…no clicking Amazon for a new shirt, but rather, trying it on…and having the clerk find a better size…HEAVEN! (By the way, Ralph Lauren’s POLO on Michigan is a must now….WOW…packed and pretty!!) Starbucks three level signature store is bit much, but its worth a drop in. To be real, I was more interested in finding the old hotels with those dimly lit bars, and amazing Old-Fashioneds…and they didn’t disappoint! (Champagne stops are a good idea as well.) 
Dining is also back in Chicago. We ate dinner at Somerset, a patio restaurant, with great people-watching in the Gold Coast. After dinner, take the elevator to the 18th floor to Devereaux…this pool-side party place is inviting and sophisticated. Of course, I could list dozens of places to find food, and everyone would have an opinion how right or wrong I was…with that, I will say, there is something for everyone in Chi-Town! (We loved grabbing a coffee at Whispers and sitting in the triangular garden among the college kids and locals.)
One of the most celebrated music events in Dayton during the last decade is back! 
If you’ve had the pleasure of seeing this amazing show already, you know how much fun to expect! (Pro tip: Wear comfortable shoes!) This go around, there is a very special guest joining the show.
After the Stop Making Sense headlining show, if you’re still ready to boogie, 
The Brightside is excited to announce This Must Be the Party – the fantastic local tribute to the Talking Heads is back in their Ballroom on Friday, April 14, 2023. It’s a complete recreation of the classic album & film “Stop Making Sense.”