It’s a great weekend to live in the Greater Cincinnati area!! Both CincItalia and MainStrasse Maifest are kicking off on Friday and run all weekend long…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Read on to find some family fun to get into this weekend.
SATURDAY
8th Annual OTR 5K Run 10 a.m. Washington Park. This event starts and ends in Washington Park. Registration 
for the 5k was available online through May 14 for $25 and includes timing and a t-shirt. The Summer Celebration is free and open to the public and continues in Washington Park until 4 p.m. with live music on two stages from some of the city’s best and emerging local bands, the kickoff of The City Flea’s season, a showcase of Art on Vine, kids’ activities and a kids’ race by NECCO, food, and Rhinegeist beer. The celebration includes fun activities for all. New this year is an incentive for visitors to the Summer Celebration who shop or eat in Over-the-Rhine brick and mortar stores on the same day, Saturday, May 17. Each year thousands of participants come out to celebrate the start of summer and the renaissance of Over-the-Rhine, and this year’s event promises to be even bigger and better than last. Established in 2007, the “OTR 5K Run & Walk” serves to both highlight successes in the community and raise funds for the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce. Race to compete, or make the 2014 OTR 5K Run & Walk a family affair. Dogs and strollers are welcome. This event is far from just a 5k with a block party in Washington Park that lasts the entire day.
After the OTR 5K stick around — Margy and Mel’s Bike Parade + Picnic Ride will begin at 4PM in Washington Park! It’s a slow, leisurely ride around Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District, returning to the Park for a picnic around an hour or so later. It’s BYOP (bring your own picnic) and it’s open to everyone of all riding experience and age. It’s a Parade! So don’t forget to decorate your bike! By the way, CiTy Flea will be in the park that day too and it ends at 4. If you like, you can grab food there – or just up the street at Findlay Market – and bring it along. Their Facebook event page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/459375064195445/
Mac Barnett Author visits Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County-Main Branch at 11:00am and Kenton County Public Library-Covington Branch at 2:00pm. Award-winning author Mac Barnett will come to the Main Library in downtown Cincinnati and the Kenton County Public Library Saturday, May 17, to talk about his new picture book, “President Taft is Stuck in the Bath.” It follows President William Howard Taft as he tries, with the help of his wife and Cabinet, to extract himself from the bath. www.CincinnatiLibrary.org or http://www.kentonlibrary.org for more details.
Mascot Madness Mini-Golf Fundraiser benefiting The Dragonfly Foundation 2:00pm – 7:00pm World of Golf in Florence, KY Join 15+ Mascots for a day of mini-golf, face painting, games and more! The mascots will be arriving at 3pm for some afternoon fun! $10 per person (age 3+) www.dragonfly.org
Colors and Cupcakes paints Honey Bear Noon – 2pm Wyoming Fine Arts Center 322 Wyoming Ave, 45215 Come to the PARTY and get ready for a memorable experience led by an art educator and local artist who will guide you step-by-step through a feature painting on canvas. At the end of the party…leave with your own masterpiece. We will have everything you need – you will just add your own flare and become an artist in no time. Oh, did we mention there will be cupcakes? Each party lasts 2 hours. $35. www.MusicArtDance.org
Second International College Circus Festival Show 322 Elm St; Ludlow, Ky 41016 8:00 pm The 2nd annual International College Circus Festival show will feature the acclaimed trapeze artist team, Duo Rose, winners of 12 international awards. Duo Rose is a seamless flow of highly technical skills and intense passion creates a fluid aerial ballet that never fails to elicit a powerful emotional response. Performing with them will be some of the most sought after college circus groups in the world including Gamma Phi Circus (the oldest collegiate circus in the U.S. at Illinois State University) and Cirque du K Kalamazoo; artists from Denmark, Mexico, Germany, Ireland, and the Congo; graduates of well known circus school such as the New England Center for Circus Arts and Cirkusfabrikken (Denmark). http://socialcircus.wordpress.com/internationalcollegecircusfestival
Wump Mucket Puppets at Smale Riverfront Park West Mehring Way, Downtown 4 – 5 pm Join the Wump Mucket Puppets for a thirty-minute puppet show of songs, skits, and silliness at the Family Summer Fun series. Created and performed by Northside puppeteer Terrence Burke, the Wump Mucket Puppets have been bringing laughter and giggles to Tri-State children and families since 2010. FREE. www.wumpmucketpuppets.com
Aladdin and Friends with Madcap Puppets Enchanting stories from around the world are bursting out of a giant coat in this Madcap classic. Popping out from the pockets come hilarious puppets and actors who use the coat as a magical setting for their marvelous tales. With giant puppets and audience participation the stories presented are: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (Middle-Eastern folk tale) and The Girl and the North Wind (Norwegian). Shows are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $8 general admission, and can be purchased one hour prior to each showtime. $8 Clifton Cultural Arts Center 3711 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45220 http://www.cliftonculturalarts.org/th_event/aladdin-friends/
Brady Scanlon Memorial Ride To Remember 9am South Hills Civic Club, Fort Wright, KY. The annual motorcycle ride and picnic honors the life and memory of Brady Scanlon, an avid bike rider and outdoor enthusiast who lost his life to Melanoma skin cancer at a very young age. The ride kicks off at 9 a.m. at the South Hills Civic Club in Fort Wright (riders should meet at 8:30 a.m.) and travels to Rabbit Hash, KY and back; the family-friendly picnic, also at the Civic Club, takes place from noon-5 p.m. and features music, BBQ and games for kids and adults. The event raises awareness of Melanoma skin cancer while benefiting the Four Leaf Family Foundation and Melanoma Know More of Greater Cincinnati. www.rideremember.com $25 to ride; picnic is free.
Carnival of Cultures 2pm – 4 pm Boone County Public Library Florence Branch, 7425 US 42, Florence, KY. Bring your family and friends to Carnival of Cultures at the Florence Branch this Saturday from 2 – 4 p.m. Kids can pick up a “passport” and get it stamped each time they visit a different country’s display. “Visit” France, Japan, Italy, Colombia, Tonga, Mexico and Peru. Bi-Okoto Drum and Dance Theatre will lead a traditional West African movement and music workshop at 2:15 p.m. Face painting, chips & salsa, popcorn and Tales, the Library Dragon! Everything is free! Don’t miss the fun! www.bcpl.org
SUNDAY
Where the Wild Things Play - 1pm to 3pm -Washington Park -Spend your Sunday in Washington Park for an afternoon filled to the brim with kid-friendly stories, songs and art activities. Relax and let us worry about the mess – invest your time with your little Wild One. Complete activity schedule available at www.washingtonpark.org. FREE. This is the LAST WEEKEND for this fun event!
Cincinnati Walk to Cure Arthritis 9:00am – 11:30am Sawyer Point 705 East Pete Rose Way Cincinnati, OH 45202. Be a part of the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to transform lives! Join the Cincinnati Walk to Cure Arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation’s signature event to raise funds to prevent, control and cure the nation’s leading cause of disability. Participants will fundraise and to bring a voice to the more than 50 million Americans living with arthritis. Funds raised through the Walk to Cure Arthritis will help create programs, research and advocacy initiatives to remove the burden of this crippling disease both locally and across the country. To register for the Cincinnati Walk to Cure Arthritis, visit www.arthritiswalkgreatercincinnati.kintera.org.
ALL WEEKEND LONG
MainStrasse Maifest May 16-18 MainStrasse Village, Covington, KY Maifest is the first major outdoor festival of the Spring and offers great food, over 75 unique Arts/Crafts booths, a Kinderplatz for the kids, an Amusement Midway for the “big” kids and entertainment all weekend long. A fun weekend for the entire family! www.mainstrasse.org
CincItalia May 16-18 Harvest Home Park in Cheviot CincItalia – The Cincinnati Italian Festival, presented by St. Catharine of Siena Parish in Westwood celebrates all the best of Italian culture and cuisine. We partner with Italian Restaurants, Italian societies and Italian companies to produce an authentic escape into Italian life for one wonderful weekend that is fun for the entire family. www.CincItalia.org
Farmers Markets: Warm weather means that it is Farmers Market Season! Find a market near you, or try a new one in a different neighborhood, either way you are sure to find fresh produce and other delicious and healthy things to feed your family. Here’s our line up of some of the great Farmers Markets in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati : http://www.familyfriendlycincinnati.com/2013/05/09/farmers-markets-in-cincinnati-northern-kentucky/
Butterflies of Costa Rica at Krohn Conservatory April 12 – June 22, 2014 Krohn Conservatory http://www.cincinnatiparks.com/krohn 1501 Eden Park Drive $7 adult, ages 5-12 $4, 5 and under FREE This year’s show is going to be amazing…and has expanded into all rooms of the Krohn Conservatory…the butterflies will still be in the Main Showroom but the culture and beauty of Costa Rica will be reflected in the others exhibit rooms as well…like LIVE birds, fish and reptiles, a “cloud forest” … and an oxen cart, painted in the traditional Costa Rican village style, greeting each visitor as they arrive. Both in and out of the Krohn, visitors will be able to enjoy the “Pura Vida” of Costa Rica.
Cincinnati Museum Center:: Diana, A Celebration. We had the chance to preview this event and it is FANTASTIC! For any Diana fans and lovers of royalty, it is a must see! More than 15 years after her death, Princess Diana’s memory still stirs interest and emotion. The award-winning exhibition Diana, A Celebration, which chronicles the life of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, will be on display at Cincinnati Museum Center from Feb. 14 through Aug. 17, 2014. This is the final showing for the renowned exhibition, which has been touring the world since 2003, before the items return to her sons in England to be preserved for future generations.
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