The art scene in Dayton is continuing to grow with the addition of The Playground Theatre, a not-for-profit movement Jenna Burnette and Christopher Hahn founded to bridge the gap between theatre and film.
“We know in this day and age people are more likely to go see a movie than a play,” the cofounders said. “Our plan is to perform staged adaptations of popular films, contemporary plays and brand new works.”
The two co founders were living in Chicago when the plan for The Playground came about in 2013. Jenna had interned for Profiles Theater and both participated in several acting intensives. While there, the idea of building a theatre company started to form. Not satisfied with where life was taking them, one night the idea of starting a theater company came to mind. The two started bouncing around ideas and the more they talked about it, the more excited they got. These Dayton natives decided it was time to return home and start it here.
The two approach theater with a very simplistic vision: focusing more on the imagination. Thus the name: The Playground. They wanted to encompass their view of acting by focusing on the imagination, much like a child.
“A child at play has nothing but their imagination driving them,” Jenna said.
The less props, costumes, or sets, the better. They believe wholeheartedly in the situation they have created within the imagination, wanting the main focus to be on the actor and the story. Eventually they want to have a permanent theater location downtown, but for now are renting space where they can find it.
“We are the voice of a younger generation and we want to approach theatre in a new way,” Jenna said.
The Playground’s first production they plan to bring to the stage is The Breakfast Club later this year. Their hope is that the well known film will generate interest and attract a new audience. The Breakfast Club will not be showing until later this year and they’ll be treating it as a fundraiser instead of selling tickets. Casting for the show will begin in late August. They hope to give opportunities to those that are aspiring actors and those that want to explore their artistic abilities.
“We hope to inspire our community,” they said. “We really want to encourage people to be bold and fearless. In life, we think it is important to take a
chance, get outside of your comfort zone, and hopefully make some discoveries about yourself.”
You can keep up with The Playground on their website http://www.theplaygroundtheatre.org/ or on social media. You can also find them on Aug. 17 at 3rd on Third.
The Featured Articles
The Mitchells: Coming Over To Visit Dayton
Joseph William Mitchell, Marc Aiello, Carlos Mitchell, Nick Mavridoglou-who make up the Cincinnati band The Mitchells-have been in their share of bands. When the foursome joined together to make up the current group, they all vowed that they wanted to make this special. They grew tired and unhappy with making music that they weren’t happy with it. “You just always know where you missed…you were slow on the beat, you didn’t rushed it just to get it to a point that worked. At the end of the day, you have all these albums that you are genuinely are unhappy with,” guitarist and lead singer for The Mitchells’ Joseph Mitchell says. “As a musician, you start to think what I’m leaving behind a legacy. You want something to be proud of.”
The Mitchells released their first EP in November 2012. Earlier that year, the band formed when Joseph and Carlos started developing the desire to expand their sound. Playing around establishments like the classic Arnold’s in the summer, Joseph and Carlos enlisted Mavridoglou and Aiello to join them. Bird Feather was a fantastic introduction to the music scene for The Mitchells -highlighting gorgeous violin and cello play, rich harmonies, soft vocals. It was well- received to the point that the organizers of the annual Bunbury Music Festival and the MidPoint Music Festival added The Mitchells to the lineups in 2013, and the band had a successful Midwest tour.
When the band returned from their tour, there was some talk of rushing and getting another album out. After some discussion amongst the band, they all realized that by speeding up the process and getting something out, it wouldn’t be in the best interest for them. They felt that by releasing it quickly, it wouldn’t be as satisfying. “A lot of times you kind of want to record something to show people what you have. We already had the EP out there. We felt it would be better for the LP to really take our time with it,” Mitchell said.
The Mitchells went on to record the LP in Lebanon at All Nighter Studio, the album’s engineer’s Tommy Cappell and Aiello’s studios. The Mitchells also wanted to release the LP on vinyl, so they spent a significant amount of time doing research on how to have the sound of it be spot-on and perfect. Overall, the freshman LP took The Mitchells over a year to craft. In the end, the band was pleased with how everything came together. “I don’t know if it’s the right way, but for us it was worth it,” Mitchell says.
The Mitchells self-titled album is a beautiful, open piece of work that truly captures the spirit of alluring storytelling, along with irresistible composition. Throughout the
album, a flawless weave between classical and indie rock comes alive in the album, and offers a little bit of everything. “Driving In Cars”, the album’s opener, blends pop and roots rock seamlessly with singer/songwriter Caroline Kingsbury offering a softness to it. The eight-plus minute dreamy “Absalom” slows everything down so effortlessly, and gets picked right back up with the rocker “Denmark”. Guitarist virtuoso Noah Wotherspoon adds some grit to “Willie Mays”.
In the meantime, The Mitchells have plans on releasing a book next summer containing the lyrics to the album. Mitchell explained that each song on the album has a specific little story that goes along with the lyrics. They crafted the stories after putting the music together. Once the book is released, the band plans to give it as a gift when someone buys an album. This fall, The Mitchells also plan to release some work with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.
To hear the self-titled album from The Mitchells, and even get a copy of it on the custom marbled vinyl they released it on, go to the band’s Bandcamp site: http://themitchells.bandcamp.com/album/the-mitchells.
The Mitchells will be performing at South Park Tavern on August 16 with Dayton’s own The 1984 Draft and Tender Mercy (Louisville). Doors open at 9pm.
MikeSell’s Introduces “Beer Can Chicken Flavor” & More…
New “Beer Can Chicken” flavor hits shelves August 22nd
Dayton’s hometown potato chip has done it again. Mikesell’s has released two new, unique flavors in their line of snacks! And Daytonians are the beneficiaries of the great taste.
Looks like you Food Adventurers have a couple more MUST EATS on your list. We were lucky enough to sample a couple of bags before they are out in stores. Here are Food Adventure’s take on the new flavors.
— BEER CAN CHICKEN FLAVORED POTATO CHIPS: We love the name and the idea is unique. The flavor is very muted and soft. Mikesells lovers will find not much variance of flavor from the regular groovy chips. The chips are almost a “Chicken Broth” flavor, so it is very subtle. Eatability factor is a 10 out of 10. We could munch on these all night and day. These are Mikesells for sure! This chip would great with some french onion dip.
— SOUTHWESTERN QUESO CHEESE CURLS: The puffs with no husk are back with a bold flavor. These have a little kick from the jalapeno flavor, but not too much. The perfect amount of zestiness and heat make these cheese curls eatable by the handfuls. Grab a bag of these for a party pleaser snack. Your sassy Food Adventure in a bag
Mikesells two new flavors are definitely a tale of two contrasts. One flavor is fairly subtle, and the other is fairly bold. The one thing that they have in common is they are tasty and addicting. We will be munching these up all over town. Hope you grab a bag and try these Dayton Originals for yourself. They will be available in stores AUGUST 22nd !
Want more Dayton Originals? Then “like” the often imitated, never duplicated “Food Adventures” on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Check out our photos below of the new products from Mikesells !
[flagallery gid=101]
Food Trucks Converge In Springfield Saturday
Thirty-five food trucks from Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati as well as Kentucky and Indiana are set to compete in the Springfield Rotary Gourmet Food Truck Competition on Sat, Aug. 16 in Veteran’s Park from 11am – 9pm.
Dayton area trucks that are signed up to compete include:
Go Cupcake, C’est Cheese, Harvest Mobile Cuisine, Hunger Paynes, McNasty’s, PA’s Pork and Zombie Dogz.
The winner of the $10,000 grand prize for Best Food Truck Cuisine will be decided by a panel of local celebrity judges, which includes:
- Doug McGregor, chef and owner of Seasons Bistro in Springfield
- Amelia Robinson, food writer for Cox Newspaper in Dayton
- Tina Pavlatos, chocolatier and president of Visual Anatomy, LTD in Springfield
- Steve Neely, Rotarian and president of Armoloy of Ohio in Springfield
- Mary Kay Smith, chef and owner of the Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs
Smith, a restaurant owner for more than 35 years, enjoys seeing passionate chefs who focus on five or six specialty items to feed the public.
“I’ve seen the evolution of food and dining from access to ingredients, the Localvore movement, Food Network and star chefs,” Smith said. “I love the idea of food trucks and their ability to set up, feed people in parking lots, street corners and special events.”
In addition to the grand prize for Best Food Truck Cuisine, 12 anonymous judges will choose winners of Best Truck/Cart Design, Best Customer Service and Best Menu, all of which will be awarded $1,000. Each truck receives a $500 stipend just for participating.
Running from 11 am to 9 pm, the competition will also host live entertainment featuring four local bands –
The Ark Band– from Columbus – play roots reggae, calypso and soca music
Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folk – who claim their style is “wandering and waving through the grass”
Omega Point – a Springfield band that plays festivals and nightclubs
The Temps – The nerdy, musical geniuses play upbeat renditions of dance cover music from the 80’s to today.
And of course their is a beer garden for those 21 and older. Admission to the event is free. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and if you bring pets, they must be on a leash. Veteran’s Park, where the event will take place, was formerly known as Cliff Park, is located on the edge of Wittenberg University campus at 250 Cliff Park Road.
The money raised from the competition’s numerous sponsors will go toward the Springfield Rotary Club’s charities – Services to People with Disabilities, Polio Plus (the worldwide eradication of Polio) and the International Project in Lesotho.
Explore. Exchange. Excite – TEDxDayton Tickets Now On Sale
After an incredibly successful TEDxDayton debut last fall, organizers have been busy lining up speakers, volunteers and sponsors for the sophomore event scheduled to take place from 9 am to 4 pm Fri, Oct. 17, at the Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton. The theme chosen to challenge featured speakers and the audience is “Explore. Exchange. Excite.”
Tickets go on sale today, Wed, Aug 14th. Tickets run $50 per person, and their is an $18 student rate and admission includes lunch at the Schuster Wintergarden and a snack break. Tickets to the inaugural TEDxDayton event sold out in two weeks last year. Based on interest and feedback from attendees, organizers expect tickets to this year’s event to sell-out quickly again. In addition to the main event, new Hype Events will be held this year to introduce the community to TEDxDayton and provide networking opportunities for those interested in TED’s “ideas worth spreading.”
“We are extremely proud of the line-up of speakers this year, as well as the expansion of the TEDxDayton experience into the community,” said Stephanie Gottschlich, TEDxDayton co-chair. “We are grateful for all of the hard work and thought the committee has put into this and can’t wait to experience TEDxDayton on October 17.”
TEDxDayton will have a student ticket, basic ticket and a sponsor ticket; proceeds will cover the costs of the event. Those interested in attending must fill out a brief application. To learn more about ticket prices and applying to attend, visit the TEDxDayton website. Application answers will be incorporated into the event to make it an even more personalized experience.
The line-up of TEDxDayton 2014 speakers and entertainers, as well as dates and locations for this year’s new Hype Events, will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event on the TEDxDayton website and through social media.
“Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and the thought leaders that will be featured, we hope to expand the cultural landscape of Dayton with new stories, insights and discussion,” said Sean Creighton, TEDxDayton co-chair
Those interested in keeping up with news and announcements about TEDxDayton are encouraged to sign up on the website to receive e-alerts featuring upcoming announcements. Visit the TEDxDayton website or follow TEDxDayton on Facebook or Twitter for updates and more information.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.
At a TED conference, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Three major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Vancouver, Canada, simultaneous with TEDActive, in Whistler, BC; and the TEDGlobal Conference takes place each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide into more than 90 languages. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. More than 5,000 TEDx events have been held, and selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED
community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning.
For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration
Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED.
2014 Eichelberger FilmDayton Festival **Ticket Contest**
Ohio films, short films, award-winning films from around the world! Single tickets for the 2014 Eichelberger FilmDayton Festival are on sale now! Showcasing the vibrant filmmaker community connected to our region, the festival takes place the weekend of August 22-24. The festival features professional workshops, screenings of award-winning and locally-connected films, parties, and contests. Full weekend schedule is available at www.filmdayton.com. Highlights of this year’s festival include:
- THE INFINITE MAN Director: Hugh Sullivan Australia/85min (Fri, Aug 22 – 7PM – The Neon)
An award winning film which premiered at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival. Dean is an inventive yet unorthodox scientist who uses his technical expertise to create grand romantic gestures for his girlfriend Lana. After an anniversary weekend goes terribly wrong, a guilt-ridden Dean is spurred to his greatest scientific achievement yet: the invention of time travel. However, what begins as a simple desire to change the past and create the perfect weekend soon leads to a tightening spiral of multiple “Deans”, each one in competition with the next. And any attempts at romantic reconciliation are further complicated when Dean loses Lana in a recurring temporal loop, and must overcome his many selves in order to save her. This film has something for everyone!
- FLICK MY CLIP 7: (Fri, August 22 – 9PM –The Neon)
The ever-popular Flick My Clip is back again for the third time! This shorts block is always a hit with the crowd and keeps getting funnier every year. Ryan Singer who grew up in Dayton is the creator of Flick My Clip. He was also selected by LA Weekly as one of “10 LA Comics to Watch” for 2014, was mentioned in NY Magazine as a “Comic to Watch,” was one of 4 finalist in CMT’s Next Big Comic Contest, and is a frequent guest on the WTF Podcast w/Marc Maron and the Bob & Tom Show. Hestarted Flick My Clip as an attempt to unite the creative forces and minds of stand-up comedians and filmmakers from across the country.
- ZERO MOTIVATION Director: Talya Lavie Israel/100 min (Sat, Aug 23 – 7PM – The Neon)
Zero Motivation tells the story of young female Israeli soldiers serving in the human resources unit of a remote desert military base. Told in three sections, the film explores how the trials of young female adulthood are complicated by serving in a dysfunctional military office. This film, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, won the festival’s Best Narrative Feature award as well as the Nora Ephronprize for outstanding female directors or writer.
- PITCH IT! and FESTIVAL PARTY (Sat, Aug 23, 8:30 PM – Gilly’s )
Think you’ve got a golden idea for a film or TV show? This is your opportunity to prove it. Drop $5 in the hat and pitch your movie in two minutes to a panel of industry experts in this “American Idol”-style format. Winner takes home a cash prize and a FREE 1-year premium membership for a screenwritingpackage membership. This lively event is fun for audience and aspiring filmmakers alike – join us in the party atmosphere with cash bar and catering by Christopher’s. Hosted by Niki Dakota, WYSO 91.3-FM music director. Featured filmmakers will be there, the bar will be pouring, and a DJ will be keeping you moving all night.
· THIS TIME NEXT YEAR Directors: Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman USA/90min (Sun, Aug 24, 5:30 PM The Neon)
Directed by Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman (with additional photography by local filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar), the documentary This Time Next Year tells the story of a community banding together to support each other after the devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to Long Island Beach, New Jersey. Both directors will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
TICKETS: Can be purchased at www.filmdayton.com
All-Access Pass (good for ALL workshops, screenings, and special events) $75.00
Flex Pass (Three Events) $27.00
Single Tickets $10.00
FilmDayton is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to building the Dayton region’s film community. We bring together local filmmakers, students and fans at monthly “Film Connections” meetings. We promote and support film events in the Miami Valley. We are building an infrastructure to encourage new film making in the Dayton area. FilmDayton originated from the DaytonCREATE effort to foster the growth of the “creative class” and strengthen the local economy.
DMM Ticket Contest
We’re sending 3 of our readers to the Eichelberger FilmDayton Festival Aug 22-24. Just like and share this post fill out the form below and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a Flex Pass good for entry to 3 events (or 3 people to one event).
Congrats to our winners: Bob Gremling, Elizabeth Dawes and Shawndra Jones!
Bands Helping Bands
It starts with a Holiday…at home
For the last few years Kettering resident Bryan Suddith has enjoyed watching Dakota Center’s Drill, Drum and Dance Innovators (3DI) Drill Team march in the Holiday At Home Parade. The parade is an annual Labor Day weekend event in Kettering and features the award winning Fairmont Marching Band as well as Alter and Centerville High School Marching Bands.
Bryan noticed that the equipment the boys and young men of the award winning 3DI didn’t match the quality of the drums carried by the high school bands. Each year Bryan and his wife Melissa brainstormed ways to help the tiny drum corp from Dayton’s West side.
Birds of a feather
The Suddith’s son, Caleb, marches with the Fairmont band and that is where this fundraiser was born. Fairmont High Schools theme this is “Birds of a Feather” and the pink flamingo began appearing around Fairmont shortly before band camp this summer. The concept of this fundraiser is that bands help bands. Birds of a feather flock together. Bryan worked with Brian Petro to create a mashup design which converted the Firebird logo with a pink flamingo. Bryan Suddith calls it the Fire-Amingo on the Teespring website where the shirts are for sale.
The goal is modest, 88 shirts sold in 8 days, to raise $1000.00 for the Dakota Center 3DI, Drum, Drill and Dance, Corp.
Buy your limited edition shirt to support the 3DI Corp at teespring.com/birdsfor3di.
Eudora’s Belgian Golden Strong Ale – It’s Magically Delicious!
Eudora Brewing Company, located at 4716 Wilmington Pike in Kettering, has just announced they will be debuting their newest beer, Le Cheval Magique on Wed, August 14th. It’s a Belgian Golden Strong Ale made with Belgian yeast, Belgian malt, and Belgian hops. The yeast gives it a fruity/spiced character.
At 8.9% alcohol by volume, it’s the strongest beer they’ve brewed to date. If you’re wondering what the name means, it’s named after a mystical horse that is said to live in a wooded area of Belgium. “Cheval Magique” is French for “magic horse”. Just in case you didn’t know, French is one of the official languages of Belgium. Anyway, it will be on tap at Eudora starting tomorrow, and they will be rotating it with the Mother Fuggle from this day forward. Come in and try it, it’s MAGICALLY delicious!
Eudora is also the only Dayton area brewery that allows you to be the brewmaster. A variety of recipes are available for you to brew. Whether you’ve brewed before or you have no idea what you’re doing, they pro’s at Eudora are there to guide you through every step of the process and make it as easy and as fun as possible.
After scheduling an appointment, you’ll be asked to choose a recipe. After deciding on what recipe you want to brew, you’ll start heating up your strike water and fetch your ingredients with the help from a staff member. The staff member will then help you through the brewing process (or simply supervise to make sure you’re doing okay) from start to finish.
After the actual brewing process is complete, you leave the beer with them to ferment in their fermentation room for 2-4 weeks. They monitor the fermentation and carbonate the beer once it’s done fermenting.
You’ll then return to Eudora on your previously-scheduled bottling day to package the beer. After bottling and applying labels, the beer is yours to take home and enjoy.
A 5-gallon batch makes about 40-45 12oz. bottles of beer and runs about $70 for a standard series beer like a Blonde Ale, Hefeweizen, English Brown Ale, Irish Red Ale or Belgian Pale Ale. Premium beers like the Robust Porter, Milk Stout or Belgian Dubbel will run you $85 for a 5 gallon batch and you can even step up to a Strong Scottish Ale, Imperial IPA or Russian Imperial Stout for about $100 a batch. Add bottles and custom labels for another $30. For more info on the Brew Your Own option, please contact Eudora at (937) 723-6863.
Get Up Close With Bats
Step into the exciting and mysterious world of bats with the Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC) at Possum Creek MetroPark Farm Saturday, Aug. 16, from 7:30 to 9pm during the Live Bat Experience. The event includes an exploration of the importance of bats, habitat and conservation, as well as of the amazing adaptations bats have made to navigate their nocturnal lifestyle. Attendees will get a chance to meet African fruit bats, a local insect-eating bat and a Jamaican leaf-nosed bat.
In addition, attendees will investigate the many amazing features of bats — including echolocation, flight and feeding habits — and explore the unique roles these nocturnal mammals play in our world. Staff from the OBC also will discuss how to help these local mosquito eaters. Afterward, attendees will take a short hike in search of bats in the wild.
“We are excited to sponsor OBC’s rescued bats and bring these misunderstood creatures to Five Rivers MetroParks,” said David Kugler, president of Propestmen of Ohio Inc. “Many nature centers are struggling with the effects of the economy, and we feel that the OBC’s programs bring a necessary component to the community because they inspire children to learn about science. We hope to get a lot of attendance from the public to help support MetroParks.”
Reservations are required and limited for this free program: Visit metroparks.org to register or call 937-275-7275.
ABOUT PROPESTMEN CRITTER CATCHERS
Founded in 2005, the Ortonville, Michigan-based Critter Catchers Inc. was formed by David Kugler, an Oakland University graduate holding a bachelor of science in biology and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Wayne State University. Propestmen of Ohio Inc., a branch of Critter Catchers, provides wildlife control services in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and surrounding areas and specializes in humane bat removal and other attic pests. Visit the website at www.propestmen.com or call 614-344-4278.
Dead Man Walking to Make Its Second Midwest Opera Appearance
On Wednesday, August 6, CNN reporter Moni Basu posted the online article “Dead Man Walking” nun: ‘Botched’ executions unmask a botched system.” The article refers to the experiences of Sister Helen Prejean, a Congregation of St. Joseph nun, who first wrote a groundbreaking, bestselling novel that went on to become the basis for the motion picture Dead Man Walking (1995) starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
Both the novel and the film tell of a Catholic nun’s stormy spiritual journey, a murderer on death row, the victims of his unthinkable actions, and society at large. In fact, the debate surrounding the works’ main theme is in the news in Ohio and elsewhere in the nation and speaks to our collective view on justice, compassion, the American legal system, and our role as citizens. Ministering to inmates on death row led to Sister Helen Prejean becoming a staunch advocate of abolishing the death penalty and developing a second, unwavering belief: America’s death penalty process doesn’t work.
Composer Jake Heggie premiered the opera Dead Man Walking, his first opera, with a libretto by Terrence McNally; it premiered on October 7, 2000 at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco Opera. In 2001, Cincinnati Opera commissioned a second production of Dead Man Walking. On Friday, February 27 and Sunday March 1, 2015, Dayton Opera will present Dead Man Walking, making Dead Man Walking only the second presentation of the opera in the Midwest.
Dead Man Walking taps into one of the core issues of our day and the whirlwind of emotions that surround it. Whether you’ve thought about the death penalty or not, this opera is sure to open a path to your heart, soul, and mind. After all, isn’t that is what great art is all about?
Dayton’s Fly 92.9 Announces Dan Edwards as Host of “The Morning Flight”
Alpha Media Dayton, OH announced today the addition of legendary Miami Valley media personality Dan Edwards to “The Morning Flight,” weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. on Fly 92.9. Dan is an Emmy award-winning media veteran with over 30 years of experience as an anchor, DJ, photo-journalist, and educator. Though his travels have taken him all over the globe, he and his wife of 29 years are proud to call Dayton home.
“I can’t say how happy I am to be back in the very building I began my radio career on the legendary WING-FM,” Dan stated. “After a satisfying 12 year career in TV as an anchor and reporter at Channel 2, I’m excited to transition back into radio. What’s even more profound is the fact that John King, the current general manger for Fly 92.9, is the same man who gave me my first big break in the business back in 1982!”
King commented, “When Alpha Media entered the Dayton market with the goal of creating truly ‘Live and Local’ radio, I was challenged to find a personality that would not only sound great on air, but one that has deep roots in the community; we couldn’t be happier to find exactly that in Dan.”
Alpha Media Executive VP of Programming, Scott Mahalick added, “Dan brings a charismatic and professional vibe to the airwaves. He is a top notch talent that will help Fly achieve the next level of success!”
The Fly 92.9 Morning Flight will be a music intensive show delivering everything Dayton needs to wake up and get to work. Featuring artists like Maroon 5, John Mellencamp, U2, and Kelly Clarkson, WGTZ boasts the largest music library in the Dayton radio market. Fly 92.9 streams live at FLY929.com and via apps available in the Apple and Android markets.
Fly 92.9 is owned and operated by Alpha Media, headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Alpha Media owns and operates 68 radio stations in 12 markets across the United States covering all formats including Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Spanish, Urban, News Talk, Sports, Rock, Country and more. In addition to the radio stations; Alpha Media owns the digital media and marketing company; Xapsis in Peoria, Illinois and intimate performance venues, The Bing Lounge in Portland, Oregon and The Alamo Lounge in San Antonio, Texas.
Drink Up Summer At AleFest ** Ticket Giveaway**
The 16th annual AleFest Dayton returns to the Miami Valley on Saturday, August 23, 2014 showcasing over 400 unique beers and ciders from more than 180 craft breweries around the world with a special focus on Dayton area breweries.
This year’s event offers exciting changes starting with new owners, Jennifer Dean and Amanda Pond, a new venue, Wegerzyn Gardens (1301 Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton, OH 45414) and a brand new VIP ticket option. Up to 500 beer enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enter at 1PM to mingle in a relaxed environment with brewery representatives and industry experts. Special cask tappings like abby XXXX from Toxic Brew Company will also be a part of the VIP experience. VIP tickets are $50 and only available for purchase online here!.
General admission tickets, which run $40 at the door or $35 in advance, include 20 tasting tickets, a commemorative glass, and program guide. Designated drivers will be admitted for $15 and will receive a commemorative tasting glass as well as complimentary soda and water. No one under 21 will be admitted. All guests can enjoy the live music and a variety of food from some of the Miami Valley’s favorite local restaurants will be available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio.
AleFest Co-Owner Jennifer Dean shares, “We’re especially excited to be able to showcase so many of our local beers.” The explosion of local breweries has added a plethora of new options for beer enthusiasts and here are the local beers you’ll be able to taste:
The Dayton Beer Co. – Oregon Alley IPA, Broken Empire Russian Imperial IPA
Eudora Brewing Company – Summer Pilsner, Boomerang IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Blonde Ale
Fifth Street Brew Pub – Scottish 85, Jo’s Midnight Stout
Lucky Star Brewery – Wicked Mutha Milk Stout, We Eat Honey Wheat, Ojos Locos Pale Lager
Toxic Brew Company – Black Toni, Cap City Hustler, Porn or Pawn Pepper
Warped Wing Brewery – Ermal’s, Self Starter, Secret Hoperation,
Yellow Springs Brewery – Goats Eye Belgian Style Pale Ale, Smoking Handsome Brown Ale, Greeat Lakes Collaboration
Cellar Dweller – Copperhead APA, Look Out Dry Irish Stout
Rhinegeist – Truth IPA, Zen Pale Ale, Cougar Blond
And like those aren’t tempting enough, there will be selecitons for the following Regional Breweries: Mission, North Coast, Stone, Breckenridge, Great Divide, Left Hand, Boulder Beer Co., Dogfish Head, 5 Rabbit, Revolution, Two Brothers, Alltech, Jolly Pumpkin, Heavy Seas, Sixpoint, Fad Heads, Hoppin Frog, Hinterland, Madtree, Jackie O’s, Unibroue, Chouffe, La Trappe, St. Feullien, JW Lees, Greene King, Aecht Schlenkerla, Schneider, Weihenstephaner, Schneider, Riegele, Bards, Wyders, Original Sin, Virtue, Sonoma and many more!
Tickets can be purchased at www.AleFest.com or at any of your favorite beer venues listed below:
5th Street Wine & Deli, A Taste of Wine, Archer’s Tavern, Arrow Wine Centerville, Arrow Wine Kettering, Bee Gee’s Market, Beer Barn, Belmont Party Supply, Blind Bob’s, Bottle No. 121, Brixx Ice Company, Bruning’s Wine Cellar, Buffalo Wild Wings Troy, Bunkers Bar, Cellar Dweller Brewery, Centerville Carry Out, Century Bar, Chappys Tap Room & Grille, Company 7 BBQ, Cuvée Wine Bar & Cellar, Dayton Beer Company, DLM Centerville, DLM Oakwood, DLM Springboro, Dublin Pub, Eudora Brewing Co., Fifth Street Brewpub Co-Op, FiftyWest, Flanagan’s Pub, Flyboys Deli, Hareless Hare, Jerardi’s Little Store, Jimmie’s Ladder 11, Jungle Jim’s (Cincinnati), Jungle Jim’s (Eastgate), King’s Table, Liquor & Wine Warehouse Miller Lane, Listermann’s Brewing Supply (Cincinnati), Lock 27 Brewing Company, Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery, MadTree Brewing, Manor Wine & Liquor, Miami Valley Wine & Spirits (Tipp City), Milanos Atlantic City Subs Beavercreek, Milanos Atlantic City Subs Brown St., Milanos Atlantic City Subs SR 741, Oregon Express, Piqua Beverage Center, Pour Haus, River’s Bend Wine & Spirits, Rivertown Brewery, Rhinegeist, Rumbleseat Wines, Slyder’s Tavern, South Park Tavern, Spinoza’s Pizza & Salads, Star City, Tank’s Bar & Grill, Thai9, The Market, The Pub at the Greene, Toxic Brew Company, Trolley Stop, Wine Works, Yellow Springs Brewery, and Warped Wing.
Special DMM Ticket Offer: For our MostMetro.com readers we’ve got tickets to give away. To be entered in our drawing, like and share this story, enter below and share a comment below on telling us about your favorite beer or one you are looking forward to try! We’ll name our winners on Sunday! [form 55 “DMM Contest Entry – Generic”]
Country Music Super Star Takes The Stage In Franklin
The Multi-platinum CMA and ACM award winning recording artist has helped shape the sound of Country music for two decades, recently celebrating twenty-years in music. Few country artists have ever known the kind of success that Tracy Lawrence has earned and the influence his iconic voice has contributed to the Country music genre.
Food Truck’s Finding Their Way Back Downtown
The Yellow Cab Company is hosting their second monthly Food Truck Rally. The first one, held on the second Friday in July had a great turnout with an estimated 1700 guests in attendance.
And according to organizer Brian Johnson, “it was a great event, but we learned some things and we’re adding more trucks, so the lines will be shorter and a 2nd beer truck as well. We”ll be featuring 10 Ton Oatmeal Stout from Warped Wing, Toxic ‘s Toxic Fifth St. Wheat and Zoetic from Yellow Springs Brewery- we love the chance to promote locally owned businesses. ” There will also be Red Hook Long Hammer IPA, Bud Light Lime, Yuengling, and Kona Big Wave Golden Ale on tap with Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon available by the glass. The craft beers will be $6.00, the Red Hook and Bud will be $5, the other two domestics will be $4, the wine is $5, pop and water are $1.
He also shared that they’ll have more seating, but still encourages guests to bring blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy picnic style. Another addition is a children’s play area, with games and activities and even a great photo opportunity to shoot a photo of your kids driving a child sized food truck!
Live music from Great Wide Open and Whiskey for Kids, with a dj between band sets will add
to the festivities. Food Trucks scheduled to attend include: Cheeky Meat Pies, The Shakery, G’s Cue BBQ, Hunger Paynes, Voodoo Taco, McNasty’s, El Meson, Mohawk Freestyle Grill, Kowalski Hots, and Horseless Buggy Eatery. In addition to the food trucks, they will also have the Hair Bowtique, HouseMade Sirracha, Local Love Boutique, Ginniebug Creations selling desserts, and the Bright Fluff selling cotton candy.
And if you can’t make it this Friday, don’t worry, Yellow Cab will continue to host Food Truck Rallies on the 2nd Friday of each month through October, or maybe even November, weather permitting.
If You’re Hoppy and You Know It
Yes, they do really glow like that.
Behold humulus lupulus – a plant that grows in very similar climates that grapes do. It is dioecious, which means that the male and female part flower separately. There are a wide variety of them, found all over the world. It is a climbing plant, so when cultivating it you will see rows and rows of upright poles for the plant to grow on. The female flowering cones are the part of the plant we are most familiar with. We refer to them as hops, and they are used mainly as a bittering agent in beer. The bitterness comes from alpha acids that are natural to the plant. They stay with the brew, protecting it from wild bacteria and filtering the beer to make it look clearer. If that is not enough, they add a variety of flavors to the beer (most often herbal, citrusy, or earthy ones), as well as cut down the sweetness of the fermented malt.
Why are hops so important? The first Thursday in August is rapidly being established as International IPA Day, and the most important thing to an IPA is hops. Lots and lots of hops. IPA is the shortening of “India pale ale”, a style of beer that is almost 200 years old. IPAs are most noted for their bitterness and complexity, having enough malt to balance out the hops. Some brewers also add other ingredients to the mix (Three Floyd’s Apocalypse Cow adds milk sugar) to tame the hoppiness. The colors of IPAs usually fall into the golden or amber hues, but some will get dark as the malts are given a deep roast (like 21st Amendment’s Back In Black).
Where it all began…British India.
The history of the IPA is, say it with me, muddy at best. The most common story is this one: Britain was colonizing India in the 18th and 19th centuries. The soldiers out there still wanted a fine beer to drink, and getting fine British ales out to the troops was problematic. Popular British ales had a tendency to spoil on the long trip over, so they needed something that was a little hardier. A gentleman named George Hodgson was the first to crack to code with October beer. It was well hopped and intended to be cellared for up to two years. It was considered “pale ale” because it was lighter than the porters and ales England was used to. It also traveled much better than normal ales because of the hops’ nature of keeping the beer protected from microbes. While Hodgson was the first to send such pale ales over to India, the breweries in Burton-on-Trent became the most popular. Because of certain impurities in the water there, the beer was a little more bitter than normal. The soldiers (and people of India) fell in love with the ale, and it became a staple. It was popular until nearly the 20th century, when it was replaced with a mix of whiskies, gins, and teas. Mainly teas.
Over the years IPA has evolved into three distinct subcategories. American Style IPAs are more citrusy and herbal than their traditional counterparts, looking to go for big flavors. English Style IPAs are brewed in the traditional style, focusing more on the balance of the malt and English grown hops, and creating a well crafted and consistent beer. Belgian Style IPAs often employ American hops, but are bottle conditioned with Belgian yeast, giving the beer a little more cloudiness. American craft brewers have fallen in love with the style (and substyles) over the last few years, going out of their way to cross breed hops to try new flavors. They have imported hops from New Zealand, as well as emulated classic hops from England. The United States is one of the three largest growers of hops in the world, after Germany and Ethiopia. All of them have their characteristic bitterness, and that bitterness is measured in something called International Bittering Units, or IBUs. It is a scientific, chemical calculation. Sometimes it is listed on the bottle, depending on how proud the brewer is of the hoppiness in the beer. Most American Lagers, like Budweiser and Coors, have an IBU rating between 5 and 17. IPAs tend to range from 40-60, some going higher. Imperial stouts actually have higher IBUs (50-80), but the heavily roasted malt overpowers the bitter hops. Green Flash’s Palate Wrecker is an off the chart 100+ IBU (there is no good measurement for over 100, but their site claims 149 IBUs), and is available at the Van Buren Tap Room if you are looking for a challenge to your mouth, or you just hate your taste buds.
There is even a hashtag! They are serious about this…
Some of you may be unfamiliar with what beers to celebrate with, and that is okay. We also have a Snobby Beer Guy on staff, and I ran into him at the Kegerator. We have perks here at the office. When I asked him what some of the best IPAs are out there, he offered up Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA and Brew Kettle’s White Raja. Ohio’s own Great Lakes Brewing Company also has a highly recommended IPA, Commodore Perry. Other highly recommended IPAs I have tried (and read about) include Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch (also banned in Michigan), Sam Adams’ Latitude 48, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, and Stone Brewing’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. Our own local Dayton Beer Company is also brewing an IPA for you to enjoy. With the popularity of IPAs right now, any brew house will have a fine selection on hand. Some places you may look to are Chappy’s Tap Room, South Park
Tavern, and Boston’s Bistro. If you are looking to celebrate at home, you can stop at Belmont Party Supply for all of the beers mentioned above, and a few more that only their staff knows about.
If you have been hiding safely in the realm of lighter, sweeter beers, go out and wake your taste buds up with a few India pale ales. It took months of creativity and dedication to create something this complex, and you should go out and try them at least once. It is International IPA Day, and every beer deserves a chance at a good home. Cheers!
NOTE: This article originally noted that hops added alcohol content. After further research, that turned out to be false. Hops add bitter notes, antiseptic qualities, and balance.
This article originally ran in August of 2012 and we find it just as relevant today, only with many more IPA’s to choose from!
The Bacon Brothers To Rock The Greene
Kevin and Michael Bacon have been writing songs and playing music together since about the same time they may have been fighting over Lincoln Logs or little green Army guys. When we first started, the people who attended our shows came strictly to see Kevin Bacon, the movie star,” says Michael. “Now people come to see and hear The Bacon Brothers.”
