Author: Randy A. Simes

Randy is an award-winning urban planner who founded UrbanCincy in May 2007. He grew up on Cincinnati’s west side in Covedale, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally acclaimed School of Planning in June 2009. In addition to maintaining ownership and serving as the managing editor for UrbanCincy, Randy has worked professionally as a planning consultant throughout the United States, Korea and the Middle East. After brief stints in Atlanta and Chicago, he currently lives in the Daechi neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam district.

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35 center city businesses extending business hours with "Lite the Nite"

Thirty-five businesses throughout Downtown and Over-the-Rhine will be extending their dining and shopping hours, and offering some special promotions as part of the first “Lite the Nite” retail event that is meant to highlight the diverse collection of shops, restaurants and services located throughout Cincinnati’s center city.

The Cincinnati Historic Midtown Merchants Association teamed up with Mayor Mallory on this effort that will bring extended hours to the participating stores on Friday, September 25. The “Lite the Nite” event will going on during the same time as Midpoint Music Festival so there should be tons of live music and festivities sprinkled all over Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. MPMF runs through this Saturday, September 26.

All stores will be open until 9pm or later, with many staying open late into the night. View a full map of the participating stores below with their extended hours and locations.


View “Lite the Nite” in a larger map

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Sen. Brown announces $700k for Ohio Hub

United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has announced the passage of $2.75 million in federal funds for transportation and infrastructure projects in Ohio. $700,000 of that money will be going towards improving the capacity of passenger and freight trains – a critical component of the Midwest Regional Rail System that officials says will integrate the region’s air, highway, and local transit networks along 3,000-mile interstate rail network with more than 45 proposed passenger stations.

Senator Brown said that, “investing in Ohio’s transportation infrastructure is critical to ensuring the long-term economic competitiveness of our state. These funds will help communities make necessary improvements to buildings, roads, and public transportation.”

Also within the bill, the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank, Inc. will receive $500,000 for renovation and improvement work at their 110,000 square-foot food distribution facility. Senator Brown’s office states that these improvements will allow the center to increase capacity and food handling efficiency, while also creating a suitable space to the organization’s Nonprofit Training Center.

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Boss Finney: Sorry Kids

Cartoon by Nick Sweeney
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Katie Laur Tribute Concert – 9/24

On Thursday, September 24 Cincinnatians will be able to pay tribute to Cincy’s Queen of Bluegrass, Katie Laur, at concert to be held at the Madison Theater in Covington. The concert will celebrate Laur’s life and musical career.

Katie Laur spent the majority of her life doing what she loved – music. Over this time she performed with a slew of other musicians and at live gigs all across the larger region, and hosted a radio program on WNKU 89.7. She eventually released three albums with the Katie Laur Band and received the Ohio Arts Council’s prestigious Ohio Heritage Music Fellowship in 2008.

The concert will begin at 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm) and will feature some of the region’s top Bluegrass artists (full list below), and will feature nationally-syndicated radio personality Gary Burbank as the event emcee. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 and will also be available at the door (map). For more information, contact concert organizers Ed Cunningham, edcunningham@fuse.net, 513-225-6040; or Liz Wu of Play it Forward, playitforwardcincy@gmail.com, 513-254-5033.

7:30 – 8:10 | Magnolia Mountain
8:20 – 9:10 | The Turkeys
9:20 – 10:00 | Ma Crow and Friends
10:10 – 10:45 | Comet Bluegrass All-Stars
11:00 – 12:00 | Jazz and Bluegrass with Katie Laur

Madison Theater photograph by Flickr user stopthegears.

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Cincinnati lands major 2011 convention

According to the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Cincinnati has landed another major convention as the Prince Hall Shriners have selected Cincinnati for their 2011 Imperial Session. The African-American fraternal organization does a considerable amount of work raising money for their three primary programs: National Diabetes Initiative, Shriners as Mentors, and Student Aid.

The group will reportedly bring more than 25,000 attendees, utilize more than 17,000 hotel room nights, and pump more than $5 million into the local economy during their visit. Cincinnati reportedly had been working on landing this convention for more than five years and beat out Phoenix to seal the deal. The Prince Hall Shriners last held their annual event in Cincinnati in 1961

The announcement continues the positive trend major ethnic organizations selecting Cincinnati as the host city for their annual conventions. In 2008, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) selected Cincinnati and brought significant national attention to the city that included a visit from then presidential candidate Barack Obama and several other notable African-American leaders. Shortly after the NAACP convention closed, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) announced that it too would be bringing its annual convention to Cincinnati in 2011. Other events celebrating Cincinnati’s rich cultural diversity lately have included the National Hispanic MBAs in 2006, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives in 2006, the Gospel Music Workshop of America in 2009, the recently announced 2013 National Fraternal Order of Police National Conference, and the 2010 annual meeting of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.