Weekly roundup · Sept 28–Oct 4
Hey neighbors — here's the week
October starts Thursday, and Cincinnati is leaning all the way in. The Zoo lights up Jack O'Lantern Glow on Friday, the Bengals host Jacksonville on Sunday, and indie bookstores on both sides of the river are running a passport crawl all weekend. Also inside: the Reading Road design shop turning 20 with an all-day party, 14 things to do from Fort Thomas to Harveysburg, and five deals worth the drive. BLINK is one week out — plan accordingly.
Business Highlight
Ten years of beer on Eastern Avenue
High St. is the big black building at 1401 Reading Road you've probably driven past and wondered about. The store opened in 2006: 17,000 square feet across two floors of furniture, lighting, books, candles, barware and curiosities, backed by an interior design studio that's been at it for more than 25 years. Upstairs is Rosemary's — espresso, natural wine, cocktails and small plates — named for a mentor who, in the shop's words, held the door open long enough for them to walk through. It holds 4.9 stars across 314 Google reviews — the neighbors have spoken.
The store turns 20 this Saturday with an all-day party, 10am–7pm: pastries in the morning, DJ JonJon spinning records from noon to 3, a palm and tarot reader, mahjong, a caricature artist, Watershed Distillery cocktails in the afternoon, and a drag set from local legend PhDee from 5 to 7. Free — RSVP on their site or just show up.
Mon & Wed–Sat 10am–6pm · Sun 11am–4pm · closed Tue
"Whether you stop in for an hour or stay all day, you're sure to experience something special."
Got a business to nominate?
Things to do this weekend
14 for your Friday through Sunday
From Fort Thomas to Harveysburg, Hyde Park to Evendale — everything below happens Oct 2–4, inside about 50 miles of downtown. Every name links to the official page.
Jack O'Lantern Glow — opens Fri, first entry 6pm · Cincinnati Zoo · separate ticket — A half-mile trail lit by thousands of hand-carved pumpkins. Runs through Oct 31; closed Oct 5, 12 and 19.
Bengals vs. Jaguars — Sun 1pm · Paycor Stadium — Tailgate at Elm Street Plaza's Fountain District Fanfest (9am–1pm), then postgame on Fountain Square (4–7pm).
60th Annual Hyde Park Square Art Show — Sun 10am–5pm · Hyde Park Square · free — Over 200 juried artists, from painting and photography to glass and ceramics. Sixty years running.
Cincy Bookstore Crawl — Fri–Sun · indie bookstores on both sides of the river — Grab a passport, get it stamped, win prizes. Pick a route and make a day of it.
Ohio Renaissance Festival: Viking Weekend — Sat–Sun 10:30am–7pm · Renaissance Park, Harveysburg · adults $39 — Longships, horned helmets and turkey legs, 40 minutes up SR-73. Tickets are date-specific; buy ahead.
Cincinnati Art Week — opens Sat 4–7pm · Over-the-Rhine · free openings — The first year of a week of pop-up galleries in empty OTR storefronts. Runs through Oct 10.
Frizzi 2 Fulci — Fri, doors 6pm · Hoffner Ballroom, 4120 Hamilton Ave, Northside · from $28.49 — Legendary Italian horror composer Fabio Frizzi and a live band play his scores as the film clips roll. A rare U.S. stop.
Brew Ash — Sat 2–8pm · Summit Park, Blue Ash · free — Craft beer, live music, a fall market and an optional beer 5K. Family friendly.
Wyoming Fall Festival — Sat 10am–5pm · Wyoming Business District · free — The 43rd year: 100+ vendors, live entertainment, bounce houses and a petting zoo.
Sunflower Festival — Sat–Sun 9am–5pm · Gorman Heritage Farm, Evendale · $12 adults in advance, $15 at the gate — Cut your own sunflowers for $1 a stem, then hayrides, farm animals and food trucks.
ArtisanFest513 Fall Fest — Sat 10am–6pm · Washington Park, OTR · free — Handmade goods from local makers and small businesses.
Flea in the Fort — Sun 10am–3pm · Tower Park, Fort Thomas · free — 70+ makers, live music, food trucks and craft beer. The last one of the season.
Art on Vine — Sun 12–6pm · Elm Street Plaza, OTR · free — Local artists and makers at the outdoor season finale. Walk over after the tailgate.
Sunset Skate: Remember the Time — Sat 7–10pm · Riverfront Rink, Sawyer Point · free admission — A night of Michael Jackson throwbacks with DJ Strawberry.
Local events
Ten more before the weekend even starts — Monday the 28th through Thursday the 1st — plus the big ones on the horizon.
Cincinnati Design Week — kicks off across the city, runs through Friday. Talks, workshops and panels.
Jazz at the Park: Al West Jr — Washington Park, OTR, 6–9pm, free. Ease into the week.
Tuesday 9/29
Jazz at the Square: Chaya Jones — Fountain Square, downtown, 5–8pm, free.
Clothing Swap — Afterlife, 44 E. Court St., downtown, 7pm. Bring at least three items, leave with something new.
Wednesday 9/30
13th Annual Slice Night — Yeatman's Cove, 5:30–8:30pm, $20. Unlimited pizza from 10 local pizzerias on the riverfront.
Paint the Square Pink — Fountain Square, 11am–1pm, free. The American Cancer Society kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month downtown.
Ghost Tours of Music Hall — Music Hall, OTR, 8pm. Select nights through Oct 30; some dates are nearly full.
Thursday 10/1
House of Cards Carnivale — Factory 52, Norwood, 5–10pm · free admission, $25 ride wristband. 11 days of rides, games and vendors, through Oct 11.
Salsa on the Square: season finale — Fountain Square, 7–10pm. Last dance of the year.
The Haunting — Overlook Lodge, 6083 Montgomery Rd, Pleasant Ridge. The Shining-themed bar's Halloween pop-up opens for the season.
Looking ahead
BLINK — Oct 8–11. Light art and projection mapping from Findlay Market through OTR and downtown to Northern Kentucky, 7–11pm nightly. Free.
Operation Pumpkin — Oct 9–11, downtown Hamilton. Giant pumpkins and 100+ artisan and food vendors. Free admission and parking.
Ohio Sauerkraut Festival — Oct 10–11, Waynesville. 60+ food items and 460 craft vendors.
Apple Butter Festival — Oct 17–18, Hueston Woods Pioneer Farm. Apple butter stirred the old way; $5 adults or $10 a car.
Best deals around town
Worth your money this week
Free Kusama on Thursday nights. The Yayoi Kusama pumpkin infinity room at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free Thursdays 5–8pm (it's $17 otherwise). Timed tickets online only — and it closes October 18.
Half-price apps for Bengals Sunday. Wings & Rings (Finneytown and Beckett Ridge) runs half-price appetizers Sunday 12–8pm with drink specials, plus a weekly NFL raffle during the 1pm and 4pm games. Fridays bring half-price apps from 3pm and kids eat free.
$3 tacos are coming. Cincinnati Taco Week runs October 12–18, with $3 tacos at restaurants across Greater Cincinnati (three-taco minimum). Mark the calendar now.
$5 burgers and $5 cocktails, Wednesdays. Arnold's Bar & Grill — Cincinnati's oldest tavern — does $5 burgers and $5 cocktails all day every Wednesday, with live bluegrass in the courtyard.
$1.25 wings, Tuesdays. Dead Low Brewing, 5959 Kellogg Ave on the East Side. Order by the 6, 12 or 24.
New openings & closings
Doors open, doors closed
Doors open
Jacques — 3825 Edwards Rd, inside Taste of Belgium Rookwood. Founder Jean-François Flechet's new modern brasserie takes over the room at dinner, mixing Belgian roots with French technique: gougères, escargot, moules au gratin, and the famous waffle — this time with duck confit.
Last call
Something to Wine About, the self-pour wine bar near Fountain Square, has closed at 136 W 4th St after nearly two years. The owner says it'll be back in a new location. And Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin infinity room at the Art Museum closes October 18 — two weekends left.
That's it for this week.
Happy 20th to everyone at High St. If we missed something worth knowing about, reply to this email — we read every one.
— The Formed In Cincinnati team 🐷
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