Tag: Cincinnati

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Arts & Entertainment News

Cincinnati time lapse video included in Vimeo’s global ‘Cities in Minutes’ project

Last year Vimeo organized a global project entitled Cities in Minutes. The project was intended to showcase individual cities through time lapse photography. In Cincinnati, Michael Weston and Joel Beeby put together a one minute, fourteen second video that he submitted as part of the global project that now features 69 entries from around the world.

The Cincinnati time lapse video starts over the majestic Ohio River on the popular Purple People Bridge and showcases a dramatic skyline view. From there the video moves to Fountain Square and downtown Cincinnati, then to Mt. Adams for a view of the “Big Mac” Bridge, and eventually out to Mariemont.

Weston and Beeby shot the video in summer 2010, and significant construction progress of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square is visible along with a festive atmosphere on Fountain Square.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Pretzelfest to raise funds for spring beer celebration

Join Christian Moerlein Brewing Company and the organizers and supporters of the 2011 Bockfest for a kegtapping of the official Bockfest Beer this Friday, January 21. The first-ever Pretzelfest has been organized in Over-the-Rhine as a delicious, homegrown way to raise support for the 19th annual spring beer festival, being held March 4-6, 2011.

Pretzels came about as early as 610 AD, originally used as a reward by monks for good children who memorized their prayers. A few thousand years later “Bretzels” are now a symbol of good luck, prosperity, and the perfect accompaniment to a delicious beer.

Venue 222 is hosting the event which will be a fun night of food, music, and beer. The brew on tap is the Moerlein Emancipator; a German style Doppelbock featuring six varieties of uniquely blending malts, which create a dark, robust lager with a toasted character and complex hints of caramel and toffee.

The Cincinnati Dancing Pigs, the area’s premiere jug band, will be performing that night, and six local eateries (MOTR, Shadeau Breads, Taste of Belgium, EAT WELL Catering, Skirtz & Johnston, and Mecklenburg Gardens) are offering a variety of unique pretzel creations for attendees to sample.

Admission to the event is $35 and includes sampling of freshly baked pretzels, four drink tickets, a brat, and an entry into the raffle for the Ultimate Bockfest Weekend. You can purchase tickets at the door, but space is limited, so buy them online in advance up to two hours before the event.

All proceeds from Pretzelfest, Ultimate Bockfest Weekend, and the Arnold’s Bathtub Raffle (a chance to drive the famous Arnold’s bathtub in the Bockfest Parade) go directly to supporting Bockfest. This homegrown weekend relies on grassroots support, and what better way to show some Cincy love by drinking beer?

PretzelFest will take place this Friday, January 21 from 6pm to 10 pm at Venue 222, located at 222 E. 14th Street in historic Over-the-Rhine.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Arnold’s to host local event this Saturday

This Saturday night Cincinnati’s oldest tavern, Arnold’s Bar & Grill is hosting a party to celebrate all things Cincinnati. With the rousing success of last year’s Local, Local, Local party they have decided to bring it back again, and just like any sequel this one promises to be bigger and better than the original.

When people around Cincinnati celebrate all things local, it of course has to start with beer, and Arnold’s has that covered in a major way this Saturday. There will be specials on all things Christian Moerlein related including Hudy, Burger, Little Kings, the standard Moerlein products as well as the very special Arnold’s 1861 Porter which was made right here in Cincinnati’s historic Over the Rhine.

Reps and executives from Moerlein will be on hand giving out free gifts and talk about their beer.  Additionally, Mike Morgan will be on hand to sign and sell his book entitled When Beer Was King.  Over-the-Rhine Brewery District president Steve Hampton will also be there to talk all things Cincinnati beer related.

What would a night at Arnold’s be without local favorite and Cincinnati aficionado Jake Speed putting on a show? Jake has a monthly variety show entitled Old Time Music Revue, and he will be taking the stage with Sean Geil of local band The Tillers. Given the historical significance of Local, Local, Local (The Sequel) it can only be assumed that Jake will have something special planned for the evening entertainment.

In addition to beer and music, Arnold’s (map) is bringing in four local artists to display their work in the revamped gallery on the second floor of Arnold’s. Jason Haley, Dan Justes, Lisa Sullivan, and Mandy Tudor will have their work on display. There will also be a special menu of Moerlein influenced food and Gelato from local guys Madisono’s. Everything gets going at 7pm on Saturday night, with the Jake Speed’s show kicking in at 9pm.

Arnold’s Bar & Grill photograph by UrbanCincy contributor Thadd Fiala.

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Business Development News

Findlay Market experiences fifth straight year of growth

The Corporation of Findlay Market is reporting that the historic market in Over-the-Rhine saw the number of shopping visits increase in 2010.

The increase in shoppers marks the fifth consecutive year of growth for Findlay Market. More than 800,000 shoppers in 2010 represented a 5.6 percent increase from 2009. The Corporation says that this growth was complimented by four of the five busiest weeks in Findlay Market’s 156-year history.

Findlay Market first started collecting this data in 2006 by installing electronic pedestrian counters near the doors to the market house. Since that time, they state that there has been a 66 percent increase in the number of shoppers.  Recently added tenants have spoke to the central location and types of shoppers present at Findlay Market as being a major draw.

“We looked around town at other possible locations, but the reason Findlay stood out in our minds is because we know the crowds that go there are often for the fresh produce and farmers markets,” Dan Wells, Sushi Bears chef, explained to UrbanCincy last October shortly before they opened.

The growth in the number of shoppers coincides nicely with the recent news that the historic market house is now 100 percent leased after being only 47 percent full when the City of Cincinnati completed a $16 million renovation in 2004. Officials are now working with Findlay Market on how to expand retail space to surrounding buildings.

The first such example is Daisy Mae’s Market, which announced it had purchased a three-story building nearby to expand their storage and preparation areas for deliveries. Additionally, four other tenants have reportedly applied for new leases at Findlay Market with no room to accommodate them.

“We are very encouraged that more and more people are moving back into Downtown and Over-the-Rhine,” Findlay Market marketing director Cheryl Eagleson stated. “They want all the usual services within the urban core…and one of those is the availability of quality foods.”

Findlay Market (map) is open year-round from 9am to 6pm Tuesday through Friday, 8am to 6pm on Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. Some tenants, including Pho Lang Thang, have experimented with later hours into the evening but have yet to set formal operation hours to those later times.

Findlay Market photography provided by UrbanCincy contributor 5chw4r7z.

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Business Development News

New video takes critical look at Over-the-Rhine’s recent progress

A new video published on Vimeo entitled OTR: On the Rise looks at Cincinnati’s historic neighborhood and the progress it has made over recent years. The video, produced by Jeremy Heslup, also takes a critical look at the neighborhood and visually illustrates how much more work needs to be done.

Heslup interviews a prominent Over-the-Rhine street performer; a planning profession from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning; a musician from the Cincinnati Symphony; and a Cincinnati police officer who has been working in the neighborhood for years.

Those interviewed seem to concur that one of the largest hurdles facing the historic neighborhood is a perception that it is not a good place to be in Cincinnati. All of those interviewed were also inspired about the recent progress and seemed to be hopeful that Over-the-Rhine will soon get over the proverbial hump as more and more residents and businesses move into the neighborhood.

One of the most striking features, of the video, is the vacant buildings captured on film. With Over-the-Rhine being one of the nation’s largest and significant historic districts, it shows just how vulnerable the neighborhood is. One storm, one negligent property owner, one fire, or one crass developer could mean the end for hundreds of buildings in Over-the-Rhine.