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Guide to a Successful Reds Opening Day

As the city with the first all professional baseball team, we Cincinnatians take our baseball very seriously. We cherish Opening Day, and treat it like a holiday. Heck, some of us even skip work to go to the game or participate in all the festivities.

With all that will be happening downtown on Monday, we know that it can be hard to track down all the details. Fear not. Below you will find a step-by-step guide that will help you make the most of Cincinnati’s other spring holiday.

Fountain Day at Fountain Square:
Each year to celebrate the return of spring and the start of the baseball season, Fountain Square hosts a ceremony in which the water in the fountain will be turned back on. This year’s Fountain Day will be this Saturday from 6pm to 9pm. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public.

Rock cover band 4th Day Echo and Local 12’s “Good Morning Cincinnati” anchor Bob Herzog will provide entertainment throughout the evening. The water will ceremoniously begin flowing from the Genius of Water on the Tyler Davidson Fountain around 7:45pm after an official announcement by Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. Fireworks sponsored by Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble are planned to follow.

Findlay Market Opening Day Parade:
An unparalleled Cincinnati tradition, the 91st annual Findlay Market Opening Day Parade will be held Monday, April 5th. The parade begins at the Race Street entrance of historic Findlay Market at 10:30am and will proceed south on Race before turning east on 5th Street past Fountain Square. It will end at the corner of 5th & Sycamore streets, just steps from Great American Ball Park. You can plan your location along the parade route now, but be sure to get there early for the best spots.

This year’s Grand Marshal will be none other than legendary Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. Mr. Bench will be joined by the retired FOX Sports Ohio play-by-play announcer George Grande, Miss Ohio Amanda Tempel, Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and a host of other legendary Cincinnatians, including Mr. Cincinnati himself, Jim Tarbell.

Fountain Square:
All day beginning at 9am, Fountain Square will serve as the hub of all activity. The traditional Findlay Market Opening Day Parade passes by the Square in the late morning, and there will be giveaways and activities throughout the day from Local 12, Q102, PNC Bank, H Meyer Dairy, Servatii Pastry Shop, Skyline Chili, Eichler Golf Cars, Crock of Love, and Cincinnati Tan.

Fountain Square’s video screen will broadcast the game live beginning with the first pitch at 1:10pm. Young professionals from Give Back Cincinnati will be hosting a party on Fountain Square that will last into the evening. Live music from Charlie Hustle, The Symphonics, and Jason Ludwig & Hannah Ray will be joined by food from Mythos Grecian Grill and Senor Roy’s Taco Patrol. Christian Moerlein beer will also be available for consumption.

Reds fans enjoy an expanded Fountain Square on 5th Street during last year’s Civil Rights Game [LEFT]. People relax on Rock Bottom Brewery’s comfortable outdoor patio on Fountain Square [RIGHT].

Pre-Game at the Ballpark:
Gates to Great American Ball Park will open at 11:10am, and early fans will be treated to live music from The Goshorn Brothers and Pete Wagner Dixieland Band who are scheduled to perform pregame concerts in the ballpark.

Honor Guard units from the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army and Coast Guard will comprise a Parade of Colors on the field. Four F-16’s from the 178th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard based in Springfield, Ohio will perform a pregame flyover. Haiti Relief volunteers from the American Red Cross and Matthew 25: Ministries will hold a giant American flag in the outfield during the singing of our National Anthem.

Recording artist, former Bengals tight end and 2006 Super Bowl Champion Ben Utecht will sing the National Anthem before the game. Saxophonist Elan Trotman will perform God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch.

Miss Ohio USA 2010 Amanda Tempel, St. Bernard native and Roger Bacon High School alum, will deliver the official game ball to the mound to be used by Opening Day starting pitcher Aaron Harang who will deliver the first pitch of the 2010 Reds baseball season at 1:10pm. Just before that, the ceremonial First Pitch will be thrown by former Reds broadcaster, George Grande who was the television play-by-play voice of the Reds for the past 17 years, and is scheduled to return to the booth in September for a few games.

Beer:
One of the few things that Cincinnatians have historically taken as serious as baseball is beer which Cincinnatians consumed to the tune of 40 gallons per person every year in the early 1900s. Much of our city’s architecture was built to facilitate brewing and many of those beautiful structures remain as a reminder to this day. It is only fitting that the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade begins in Cincinnati’s historic Brewery District.

Seldom will you find a gathering that does not include the enjoyment of this great fermented malt nectar, if in fact the event was not planned only to provide the excuse to savor a craft beer in the first place. When Baseball and Beer combine forces on Opening Day, there is no truer representation of Cincinnati’s passions. In fact, in 1880 the Cincinnati Reds were kicked out of the National League in part because they refused to stop selling beer during baseball games. Sprinkle in some beautiful weather and it truly nears perfection.

Before the game starts there will be a variety of pregame places to check out for the special events. Arnold’s Bar & Grill (210 E. 8th St) is Cincinnati’s oldest tavern and is an Opening Day staple that will feature a litany of events. The all day long Jake Speed’s Opening Day Extravaganza is presented by WNKU and Hudy will include special menus, live music, giveaways, and more. JeanRo Bistro (413 Vine St) will open at 9am with brunch and $3 drafts of craft beer from a great rotating tap selection. In the Backstage Entertainment District, Nicholsons (625 Walnut) will open at 10am and offer ballpark food (dogs & burgers etc) and 25 total taps including two special releases in Cask (hand drawn, British Pub Style). A limited amount of the hard to get 21st Amendment “Monk’s Blood” Dark Belgian-style Ale may still be available. Rock Bottom Brewery (Fountain Square) will have brewmaster Mitchell Dougherty tap his “Catcher In The Rye” Ale in honor of the new baseball season. They will open at 9am for breakfast, and will be serving locally brewed beers all day inside and on their patio space directly on Fountain Square.

At the ballpark itself, the powers that be have made a concerted effort to make craft beer offerings more available to all areas of the stadium, including well placed taps of Bells Brewery’s Oberon American Wheat, which is widely known as “Baseball Beer.” Bells will also have their Oberon on tap in sections 110, 140, 430 and 419. Christian Moerlein’s OTR Pale Ale will be available in Sections 135, 110, 140 and 430, while Moerlein’s Lagerhouse Helles will be available in sections 126 and 104. Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale will be available in Club Red and section 135.

In addition to these great draft selections, there are other notable beers available in cans and bottles at the The Pub, Machine Room, Scouts Alley and the Champion’s Club, including beers from local brewery Mt. Carmel, as well as Great Lakes and a brewery that is brand new to the state of Ohio, 21st Amendment. This Bay Area, CA microbrewery will be offering both “Brew Free or Die” IPA and “Hell or High WaterMelon” Wheat in its signature cans.

For your post game fun it will depend on the direction you are heading, but Hoperatives has a great list of options to continue your appreciation of craft beer throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. Wherever the rest of your day may take you, please be safe and responsible and make it a point to use public transportation, hail a cab, plan for a designated driver or even grab a hotel room downtown. Enjoy yourself on this true Cincinnati celebration. Cheers!

David Ben, Dave Rolfes, Bryon Martin & Randy Simes all contributed to this story.

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Business Development News

Cincinnati Riverfront Park on schedule for spring 2011 opening

The Cincinnati Riverfront Park is currently under construction and progress is being made on the first phase of the project that will be completed in spring 2011. The Moerlein Lager House, Bicycle Center and Event Lawn are all making headway while the support elements are put in place. The project is on schedule according to project manager Dave Prather who gives us the update.

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Business Development News

Skirtz & Johnston to bring old world bakery to Cincinnati

Stefan Skirtz and Andrew Johnston met at the nationally acclaimed Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) just a few years ago and have maintained their relationship since then. Andrew started at MCI right out of high school while Stefan transitioned into pastries after working professionally for many years elsewhere.

“We were the only two guys in a program with 30 to 40 other women,” explained Andrew who went on to say that the pair wanted to bring a “masculine touch” to the pastry/bakery business and food world with Skirtz & Johnston Fine Pastries and Chocolates. Something else the two wanted to bring to Cincinnati was an old world bakery that focuses on fresh products made daily with local ingredients by expert pastry chefs and bakers.

“We’re really old school in the way we work, and the bakeries in town that operate in that fashion are at capacity,” said Stefan. “We found a great location and love Findlay Market, the people, and the other vendors.”

The new shop at historic Findlay Market will offer pastries, chocolates, bread, high-end cakes, sandwiches and other items all made fresh and from scratch in the old world fashion the two pastery chefs live by. The co-owners also see the new shop as a perfect fit for Findlay Market which has been in need of additional freshly baked bread.

Once open on the south side of the Market House, Skirtz & Johnston Fine Pastries and Chocolates will have two parts to their shop. The western part of the double store front will serve as the pastry shop where all the bakery operations will occur, while the eastern portion will initially serve as a bistro and gallery space for community gatherings until the owners are able to expand operations and create a confection and cake shop there.

“The possibility for future expansion made the space really desirable,” said Andrew. “But for the mean time the eastern portion will work well for meeting and lunch opportunities during the week and events during non-typical shop hours.”

The MCI pastry chef duo also plan on staying true to their pastry roots by working closely with pastry co-op students from the MCI program.

The future Skirtz & Johnston bakery sits quietly next to Kause’s on the south side of the Markethouse on a closed Monday afternoon at Findlay Market – photography by Jeremy Mosher.

“We wanted to create an opportunity to further our craft and future employment opportunities for Midwest Culinary Institute students where they can work with bread, cakes and everything else we do,” Andrew explained. “Some of our main goals include education and advocacy in addition to furthering our craft.”

As a result when you come in to the bakery Stefan says that you can expect to see bakers and pastry chefs at work in a “flour on the floor” style bakeshop, and that when you walk in you will see all the way to the back of the shop where the mixers are.

“We want people to see the craft taking place and we want to engage our customers,” said Andrew who also detailed the shops local approach by purchasing everything from local suppliers including a partnership with fellow Findlay Market vendor Churchill’s.

Andrew and Stefan are looking to be open in some fashion in time for the Opening Day Parade on April 5th with a grand opening sometime after that. Once open full-time, the shop will open at 8 or 9am on weekdays, 6am on weekends, and stay open throughout the day offering lunch in addition to their bake goods.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Ensemble Theatre an Over-the-Rhine staple for 24 years

For 24 years the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati has offered up top-notch Off-Broadway theatre performances in historic Over-the-Rhine. The first two years of performances were held at Memorial Hall on Elm Street near Music Hall until the organization relocated to its space on Vine Street near 12th in the heart of the Gateway Quarter district of Over-the-Rhine.

But before there was the now popular Gateway Quarter, the ETC was there bringing in money and visitors to the neighborhood. The ever-growing urban living, retail and entertainment district now has dozens of businesses and hundreds of new residents. Theatre patrons can now dine at establishment like Lavomatic and Senate, and window shop at the unique collection of locally owned shops along Vine Street surrounding the ETC.

Since 1988, ETC has been improving the 106-year-old structure that has been home to a consulate, bank and printing shop before it became the permanent home for ETC. This work has included renovations to the building to make it an appropriate theatre venue early on, and the addition of amenities for theatre personnel and additional seating capacity in the 1990’s. The 191-seat theatre is now at another crucial point in its history as ETC is in the middle of a $6.5 million capital campaign that will help expand the theatre’s presence and improve operations at its existing location.

“This next stage of ETC’s development will help embrace our mission of creating and bringing Cincinnati world and regional premieres,” said ETC Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “Most importantly, it will allow for the artistic growth of our professional team and visiting artists.”

New shops occupy once vacant storefronts along Vine Street [TOP-LEFT]; Mayor Mallory celebrates the completion of a new condominium project at 12th & Republic streets [TOP-RIGHT]; the once desolate Vine Street is now full of foot traffic [LOWER-LEFT]; rooftop decks for new condominiums now overlook the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati [LOWER-RIGHT].

The ‘Next Stage’ capital campaign is the first such campaign in the ETC’s history, and comes at a time when the theatre is experiencing solid growth. Over the past two seasons ticket sales have inceased 22 percent, and ETC has more subscribers now than in any time during its history.

“It’s an astonishing accomplishment when many theatres across the country are unfortunately seeing a decrease in attendance,” said Jocelyn Meyer, Communications & Development Manager with ETC. The success of ETC has also helped spawn the creation of growing arts community that includes the Know Theatre, Art Academy of Cincinnati, and Fringe Festival all located right in the heart of Over-the-Rhine and within blocks of ETC.

During the course of a season Meyer explained that ETC brings some 35,000 patrons into the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and makes an economic impact of more than $3.5 million in direct spending. But even with strong numbers recently, the ETC is still in need of contributions to help start construction with the Next Stage capital campaign which had originally been projected to complete construction by the fall of 2010.

“While ticket sales continue to do phenomenally well for us, like most non-profits, our contributed income has suffered terribly in this economy,” detailed Meyer who went on to say that the ongoing capital project, with the help of Cincinnati-based GBBN Architects, the completed ETC capital project will add 15,000 square feet of space to the ETC’s existing facilities and strengthen its neighborhood presence.

The Know Theatre draws additional theatre crowds to the Gateway Quarter district of Over-the-Rhine [LEFT], while festivals like the Gateway Summer Celebration have formed to celebrate the residents, businesses, and history of the neighborhood [RIGHT].

“The renovation and expansion plans are an opportunity to extend ETC’s capability and bring the facilities to a level on par with the quality of ETC’s stage productions,” explained GBBN’s Joe Power who is serving as the lead architect for the project. “Look for an expanded presence along Vine Street, a refurbished theatre, new technical support facilities, as well as a new front-of-house that will improve the entire theatre experience.”

In total, the capital project will result in a renovated performance space and seating, an outside courtyard, an on-site scene shop, new office space for administrative staff, a renovated box office and lobby space, and a private meeting room for sponsors, entertainment, and rentals. According to theatre officials, the renovations will also put a strong emphasis on creating a more accessible seating area for mobility-challenged patrons, and will maintain the current intimate theatre setting for which the ETC is known.

“For several years, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati has made a huge commitment to stay in our neighborhood based on their confidence in the revitalization of our urban core,” said Brian Tiffany, Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce President. “ETC has once again proven that Over-the-Rhine continues to offer our city and this region one of the best examples of ensemble theatre in the heart of arts and culture in Cincinnati.”

Those interested and able in giving to the ETC are able to do so by donating online; mailing a check made payable to “Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati” to 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202; or by calling (513) 421-3555.

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Business News

$8.5M Facilities Grant to Bolster UC’s Research Standing

The University of Cincinnati has been awarded nearly $8.5 million by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) for the repair, renovation, and modernization of existing research facilities in uptown Cincinnati.

In 2003, then University of Cincinnati president Dr. Nancy Zimpher championed UC|21 – a comprehensive academic planning process that would help lead UC into the 21st Century. Among UC|21’s six primary goals, Goal 2 was to “grow our research excellence” by building on the university’s greatness as a major research university.

The goal was taken even further by Dr. Zimpher who often said she intended on making the University of Cincinnati the nation’s premier urban research institution.

Click to open larger version in new window. Chart produced by Randy A. Simes.

In 2009, the University of Cincinnati generated $378 million in research funding compared with $194 million in 2000, just before the start of UC|21, representing a 95 percent increase in research funding over a ten year period. Announced by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the nearly $8.5 million grant will be issued tomorrow on March 4, 2010 and remain active for five years after its activation.

“This is great news for the University of Cincinnati,” said U.S. Representative Steve Driehaus (D-OH). “UC carries out cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, and this investment will help ensure the university can continue its important work.”