That is the whole cozy space, ladies and gents.
In 1865, a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (His pen name was Lewis Carroll.) wrote a book about a little girl who has an amazing adventure in a faraway land. Alice’s adventures begin when she spies a white rabbit run by as she is drowsily listening to her sister. The rabbit is in a petticoat and muttering about how late he is as he stares at his watch. She follows him into his rabbit hole, and that is where her adventures in Wonderland begin. Ever since that book, the white rabbit has been a symbol of diving into something mysterious with a fantastic payoff. Adrienne’s White Rabbit Lounge was that for our band of merrymakers. This is the first dive bar we patronized that we were not overly familiar with. We had been told of it by Big Ragu and The Crew, but we did not know much. Now we do, and we did have a fantastic adventure.
You are not going to stumble randomly on Adrienne’s White Rabbit Lounge (889 South Main Street Centerville, OH 45458, 937-435-3150); someone is going to have to lead you there. It is located in a strip mall pushed away from the street. When we went in, there was a handful of people at the bar. The first thing we noticed is that the place was small. Performers would call the venue “intimate”, and they would not be wrong. The size of the space contributes to people being able to see and experience everything happening. There are some nooks and crannies, but they don’t offer much in ways of privacy. It was well lit, and the music that was playing was at the right level. You could have a conversation and still enjoy the jukebox. Televisions cover just enough of the walls to be seen from any point in the room. The ceiling tiles are decorated with advertisements and other patron artwork. There are still some spaces available for only $25 each.
Drink all the drinks!
The drinks here are well-priced. And by well-priced I mean inexpensive. That is not even taking into account the daily specials they offer, from shots based on the vodka flavor of the month to seasonal beer specials. There is also a Queen of Hearts game that happens on Thursday nights, where lucky gamers can win a nice sized jackpot. They have house-created cocktail specials, an excellent selection of domestic beers (some part of their daily specials), and something I have not yet found at other bars we have explored. They have a special cabinet filled with tequilas and other special liquors. A rotating list of unique bottles is one more unique things the White Rabbit offers. They even have events that feature these gems, like the tequila they event they are planning for June 3. The cocktails were tried were both tasty in their way; one was a refreshingly summery sour cocktail, and the other was a seasonal recipe. We asked Tori, our bartender that night, what we should try and she pointed us to the Merry Cherry. It was a Jägermeister cocktail where the spices of the liqueur came through just enough to give some zest to the cherry and raspberry in the drink.
If you are looking for a place to eat, there are many options nearby that will have a reliable menu. Like any real house of mystery, the food is a grab bag depending on the day and if there is an event. There are always some snacks in one of the nooks. Typical bar food that the regulars help to keep stocked, like pretzels, chips, and cheese balls. For special events, like Derby parties or events with customers (the bar, usually closed Sundays, can handle special events), you will find a more robust fare. Burgers, brats, pulled pork, and other staples of great get-togethers will be available.
The snack nook, complete with deer head wearing shades.
Above anything else, the thing we were most impressed with was how friendly everyone was. The bartenders treated us as if we had been loyal bar patrons for months, being very friendly to us and answering every question we had. We had multiple conversations with other bar patrons, from what we did as a business to the current state of Reds baseball. There was even a round of drinks purchased for the whole bar, which at the time was pretty damn full. It was not a bumping Friday night, but there were people there. It was a neighborhood bar in the best sense. A place where it felt like you could go at any time and either meet friends you already knew or make some brand new ones over some music and a round of darts.
We left at the end of our time there glad that we found another lovely place to go for a drink in Dayton. Adrienne’s White Rabbit, which has been around in a variety of forms for almost forty years, is what most people are looking for when they are seeking a casual watering hole. There may not be any rabbits, hatters, living playing cards, or red queens, but you will have to enjoy a friendly experience when you go.
Adrienne’s White Rabbit Lounge is located at 889 South Main Street, Centerville, OH 45458. They are open Monday through Saturday from 1 PM to 2:30 AM, closed on Sundays. You can find them on the web at adrienneswhiterabbit.com, or visit their Facebook page for information on upcoming events. Their phone number is 937-435-3150.
It’s not a difficult task to discover 
The Downtown Dayton Partnership is helping to roll out a new juried art show. The 
You can meet the artists from the juried show pop-up galleries in their spaces, and you can check out an array of other arts activities sprinkled around downtown, including:
Nucleus CoShare
FutureFest is a festival of previously unproduced plays, which have been submitted from playwrights across the United States. Hundreds of submissions are read and the top six are selected to be performed at the festival. Playwrights of these plays will attend the festival, as will five adjudicators from across the country. Three plays will be performed as staged readings and three will be fully staged over the 3-day festival. Feedback will be given by adjudicators and audience members and a festival winner will be selected. This year marks the 26th FutureFest, which is the largest new play festival in the country sponsored by a community theatre.
The finalists in this year’s “FutureFest” include:
Memories of the Game (fully staged)
Synopsis: Memories of the Game centers on the McIntosh household, an African-American family of four, who must struggle with the father’s progressing Alzheimer’s disease, while grappling with their own demons and strained family dynamics.
Cast: 2m, 2f
[Miss] (fully staged)
Synopsis: Frances Oldham Kelsey saved an estimated 20,000 American children from crippling deformities by battling the William S. Merrell Company over the release of thalidomide in the United States from September 1960 to November 1961. Merrell’s brand of thalidomide, called Kevadon, was one of the first two drugs Dr. Kelsey was given upon starting her career at the FDA. Despite constant threats and intimidation, Dr. Kelsey stubbornly refused to approve the drug because she had concerns about its possible effect on the fetus. When the story broke that thalidomide had caused a world-wide epidemic of infant deformities and death, Dr. Kelsey learned that Merrell had been distributing the drug without approval through a sham investigational study. The fall-out from this revelation combined with the heroism of Dr. Kelsey’s actions caused the United States to reform its regulation of prescription drugs.
Cast: 6m (4m with doubling), 4f
The Griots (fully staged)
Synopsis: Set in rural Georgia in the late 1930s, The Griots focuses on an elderly African-American woman (Ada) who grew up in slavery, a young woman who is the descendant of the plantation owner’s family (Lizzie), and a young white man from Ohio (John) who has been sent to the South to interview ex-slaves as a part of the WPA Writers’ Project. As John gains Ada’s trust over a period of several weeks, her stories turn from quaint tales of happy field hands, to brutal accounts of violence and intolerance. And when her tales contradict Lizzie’s family legends, exposing the truth may have too great a cost.
Cast: 1m, 2f
Shepherd’s Bush (staged reading)
Synopsis: England, 1930: renowned man-of-letters E. M. Forster, 52, meets and falls in love with 28 year old policeman, Bob Buckingham. Their secret romance blossoms until police scrutiny inspired Bob to court and eventually marry May, a young nurse. Jealousy and rivalry evolves into a lifelong friendship with surprising consequences.
Cast: 3m, 2f
N (staged reading)
Synopsis: “N” explores both the personal relationship and the working relationship from the opening of The Emperor Jones in 1920 through the last major revival of the play of African-American actor Charles S. Gilpin and playwright Eugene O’Neill, 1926.
Cast: 2m, 1f
The Violin Maker (staged reading)
Synopsis: The Violin Maker is the story of Karl Mosel, who after his father’s death, tries to learn from his grandfather the family trade of Violin making. Ultimately he must decide whether he will continue the 300 year old family tradition or let the family legacy go.
Cast: 2m, 1f
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the scripts.
Auditions will be held at the Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton, OH 45414. Those auditioning should bring a list of any scheduling conflicts through July 24. Rehearsals are typically in the evening, or on weekends.
FutureFest performances will be July 22-24. Weekend passes are $100 and will be available by calling the box office at 937-424-8477. The box office is staffed Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m., however messages may be left at any time and calls will be returned. Tickets to individual performances will be $18.
The Dayton Playhouse is a community theatre providing outstanding theatrical productions to Miami Valley audiences of all ages for more than fifty years. The Playhouse is nationally recognized for “FutureFest,” a festival of new plays.