Archives for November 2016

Name: Dayton Poetry Slam
Start: 2026-06-07T19:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-07T19:30:00-04:00
Location: yellow cab tavern

Battle of the Baristas- Dayton Hosts A Regional Coffee Competition

November 5, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

Boston Stoker Coffee Company presents the first annual Battle of the Baristas! It’s a full weekend of coffee, live music and food trucks! Enjoy free pour over coffee and espresso during The Battle of the Baristas prepared on a Modbar mobile unit by guest baristas at Yellow Cab Tavern.

In this two day competition 20 regional baristas will compete for the grand prize of a free trip to Kenya, including airfare, lodging and excursions! Baristas will have to create 3 different types of coffee beverages for 4 judges.

During the weekend they will also be hosting a latte art competition that will include 32 regional baristas competing for over $1500 worth of prizes.

“For all of our out-of-town competitors, we wanted to showcase some of the great music that’s being made here in Dayton,” Henry Dean, Boston Stoker President said. “We also wanted to make an event that would get the community excited to come and see what’s happening at the Battle of the Baristas.”

For live music, Friday night will feature performances from Shrug, M Ross Perkins, Adam Remnant and Manray and Saturday night will feature Speaking Suns, Starving in the Belly of the Whale, Gay Sharks (featuring PJ & Tommy of Motel Beds) and Forage.

“Dayton has a proud history with the bands that have come from here,” Dean said. “We are excited to be showcasing Dayton’s inventive spirit both through coffee and music.”

Saturday, Nov 12 – Final Round

Meet The Competitors:

Barista Shelby Lewis

Shop Name Boston Stoker

Website Bostonstoker.com

Shop Specs – We are a family owned company opened in 1973. Boston Stoker began selling cigars and tobacco while giving away free cups of coffee to customers. Over the years we have transformed into Dayton’s largest coffee roaster and expanded our retail locations to include Columbus.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? I love to learn new trades. Watching Baristas work on the espresso machine seemed challenging and rewarding. So, the first time I visited one of our shops, I was able to speak with the manager and set up an interview that day.

What is your favorite drink and why? I love to make cocktail-like drinks. Creating drinks that do not include steamed milk allows you to add in a lot of different ingredients that may react with the milk and curdle. Drinks that I create tend to be shaken or stirred with ice.

How long have you been a barista?I’ve been a Barista for 5.5 years.

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? When I’m not behind the bar, I will be at home reading or watching TV with my husband, Shane, and 2 cats.

Barista Benjamin Tanen

Shop Name Brewpoint Coffee

Website brewpoint.coffee

Shop Specs We are a small shop in the suburbs of Chicago. Brewpoint’s focus is on Community and reaching people through coffee.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? My love and curiosity of coffee and the subtle intricacies behind it.

What is your favorite drink and why? Macchiatos. For me they are the perfect balance of milk and coffee and make for the perfect afternoon treat.

How long have you been a barista? 1.5 years

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? Listen to and record music and explore the growing neighborhoods of Chicago.

Barista Zedeeka Fulay

Shop Name One Line Coffee

Website onelinecoffee.com

Shop Specs One Line Coffee represents the line from farmers to roasters to the customers. We provide a tangible partnership between coffee’s origins and its consumers.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? I was interested in being a barista because of it balance of art and science in creating coffee, as well as, the interactions and relationship you develop as a barista with your customers.

What is your favorite drink and why? That is a very difficult question, I don’t favor making one drink or another.

How long have you been a barista? I have been a barista for nearly 2 years.

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? When I am not behind the bar, I am, either, playing music, reading, or writing. I am a classically trained pianist and violinist.

Feel free to let us know any other information you would like to share. I am currently a third year student at the Ohio State University with a double major in Psychology and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Barista Sean Hundley

Shop Nam One Line Coffee

Website onelinecoffee.com

Shop Specs I am from One Line Coffee in the Short North. We are the flagship store for the wholesale roastery and it’s been in operation for almost 5years. I’m the only original barista remaining. It’s an amazing location because we’re high traffic but committed to serving specialty grade coffee w/ out compromise. Also, we host our educational workshops at the SN location in our backroom cupping lab.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? My first coffee was an espresso from Donkey Coffee in Athens, Ohio and the barista took special care to explain certain details about the espresso I ordered. His service and passion made a big impact on me and soon after, they hired me. I began making and serving espresso for Donkey Coffee and was totally in love.

What is your favorite drink and why? My favorite drink to make is a single origin espresso and milk beverage. It’s an opportunity to showcase single origin espresso flavor and the baristas ability to steam and pour latte art. The drink seems to be the total encompass of the baristas craft.

How long have you been a barista? This is my 8th year of being a barista.

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? Well… Work related: Leading public education programs is the best part of my job. So rewarding. Non work related: Family, exercise, music and food are my passions.

Barista James Blanchard

Shop Name Deeper Roots Coffee

Website deeperrootscoffee.com

Shop Specs Deeper Roots has been a wholesale, specialty roaster since 2011, and in April of 2016, opened a cafe in the Oakley neighborhood of Cincinnati. I was fortunate enough to be on the original team, opening the shop, and it has been a beautiful journey, getting to know the neighborhood and the awesome people in it. We love getting to see the specialty coffee process through from the source to the cup.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? I have always loved the culture in and surrounding coffee. Being heavily steeped in the DIY scene, I had a very early exposure to cafe culture, and just decided to never leave.

What is your favorite drink and why? Nothing is more special to me than a good espresso. It’s not complicated or over-involved; it’s simple, beautiful, essential. It has the ability to show the true essence of a coffee.

How long have you been a barista? Since 2008

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? Rock climbing with my wife, playing with my son, and running around in the back yard with my dogs.

Barista Travis Goodspeed

Shop Name Boston Stoker

Website bostonstoker.com

SHOP SPECS Boston Stoker was founded in 1973 as a tobacco shop. We started serving coffee as a free service to customers. It was so successful that we bought a roaster and began roasting coffee and selling it in the stores. From there, it morphed into our wonderful coffee company.

What got you interested in becoming a barista? Coffee has the potential to impact a lot of positive change. On a personal level, a barista can impact a person’s life by just serving a great cup of coffee while providing great customer service. On a socio-economic level, coffee can change the way businesses and economies function. I’m interested in that change – into a relational model, where the final customer who is being served a cup of coffee isn’t the only person that matters.

What is your favorite drink and why? Cappuccino. I can make the best latte art in a cappuccino.

How long have you been a barista? Almost 2 years.

Favorite thing to do outside of coffee? I love to hang out with my wife – watch movies, hike, play disc golf, play music etc… We are currently expecting our first child, so much of our free time is centered on our fetus – learning about prenatal development, doctor’s appointments, etc…

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Meet the Baristas

Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme Arrives on the Big Screen in Magic Fashion

November 4, 2016 By Tabari McCoy

“This window needs to be cleaned … But I ain’t gonna be the one to do it!” Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular character in a scene from director Steve Derrickson’s take on Marvel’s “sorcerer supreme,” DOCTOR STRANGE. Credit: Jay Maidment © 2016 Marvel Studios. All rights reserved.

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chitewel Ejiofor, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel MacAdams and Benjamin Bratt

WRITER(S): Jon Spaith, C. Robert Carghill and Steve Derrickson (screenplay); Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Comic book characters on which the film is based)DIRECTOR(S): Steve Derrickson

WEB SITE: http://marvel.com/doctorstrangepremiereHERE’S THE STORY: The first “new” character (not new if you are a fan of the comic book) in Marvel Studios Phase Three plan, Doctor Strange stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Steven Strange, a renowned neurosurgeon. Working alongside his on-again, off-again girlfriend Christine (Rachel McAdams), Strange is as skilled as he is full of himself – which is to say very.

Then, he crashes his expensive sports car in an accident that shreds his divine tools (his hands) to pieces, leaving both his career and his life in shambles.

Desperate to save his life’s work, Strange seeks out treatment from just about everyone he can think to no avail, each attempt leaving him more bitter and broken. It’s only then that he happens to hear about and then seek out Johnathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt), a once paralyzed man who miraculously is not only no longer paralyzed, but back to playing pick-up basketball at a local park. Pangborn tells him about a mysterious place in Nepal that may be able to help him, leaving Strange to spend his last dime to travel there in search or refuge. But once he’s there, Strange discovers just how strange the place he has come is compared to anything he has ever encountered before.

Meeting up with a bald woman known simply as “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton) and her main assistants Wong (Benedict Wong) and Mordo (Chitewel Ejiofor), Strange undergoes a major transformation that, while it does not affect his hands in the way he foresees, affects his understaning of the world and his place in it forever.

And that’s a good thing, especially since Kaecillius (Mads Mikkelsen) – a.k.a. The Ancient One’s former apprentice – has taken his knowledge of her teachings and plans to apply them for a very nefarious purpose …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Benedict Cumberbatch fans; people who will enjoy the Inception-like scene shape shifting; those who generally enjoy Marvel films

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Those who feel the film is a bit “whitewashed” or, ironically, too ethnically diversified given the actors playing certain roles in the film that were not those ethnicities in the comic; religious people who feel the film dives too much into things like the black arts, etc.

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A Marvel origin story film that actually focuses on developing its lead character well to the point you almost crave some more information about the secondary characters, Doctor Strange is another win for the premier comic book movie studio.

Cumberbatch fully throws himself into the character of Steven Strange, giving him a complete evolution, if you will, as man who goes from arrogant, self-serving should-be hero to humbled, thrust into action actual hero. While that story in and of itself is nothing new, Cumberbatch delivers a needed mix of ego, humor and disbelief along his journey, which makes his character’s eventual 360 transformation believable, honest and most importantly given his character’s nature, smart. His responses to his situation are completely normal, a factor which is important in making the character believable and both heroic as he does progress. While Swinton and Ejiofor deliver solid performances in their supporting roles as the guides of Strange’s journey – Wong, however, is hilarious in his role – it is Cumberbatch who succeeds in channeling the story through him in a fashion that thoroughly works. This is a movie about a man’s journey on the road to becoming a hero, not a good guy vs. bad guy movie and the film plays out that way. While one could argue all superhero origin stories are that way, Doctor Strange digs deep into its protagonist’s life with the action sequences only existing when feeling necessary and not because he quote-unquote “kicks ass.”

While the beginning of the film may have a bit of a slower pace atypical of most Marvel films, Director Scott Derrickson deserves a good amount of credit for making the mystical world of Doctor Strange accessible for the non-comic book viewer, breaking down the things that need to be for the casual observer while leaving enough insider nods for the die hard fan. While the talk of magic, mystic arts and the like might be a bit much at first, the strength of the tale told under Derrickson’s director will start to hook you before eventually delivering a satisfying cinematic experience.

Then again, Marvel’s been making movie magic with that formula now for years, so why would they stop doing it now?

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):

Gem City Chorus, A Real Hidden Gem in Dayton

November 3, 2016 By Bryan Suddith

Dayton is full of amazing talent. Some get the limelight, some get grand billing, while others sing for the world to hear collecting awards and accolades quietly. The Gem City Chorus is doing just that.

Gem City Chorus is an international award winning women’s performance chorus that sings in the 4 part Acappella style know as barbershop. Although this is our primary harmony style, the Gem City Chorus sings a variety of music from pop to big band, from musicals to songs from the stage and screen.

Gem City is a member of Sweet Adelines International. This international body represents more than 70 years of singing competition and more than 23,000 members worldwide who sing in choruses like the Gem City Chorus. Dayton’s Chorus of ladies has 14 Medal Winning International performances. These ladies not only sing, but compete at the highest levels. Members can be found in all ages, one member has been performing with Gem City for 55 years!

This women-only group rehearses every week in their own studio space in Centerville. They gather every Tuesday evening for more than 3 hours to perfect the 4 part harmony they are famous for. Women of all ages are encouraged to stop in and learn more about singing a cappella music, barbershop style, and how to become a member of the chorus.

Gem City Chorus is more than a sorority and competition singing group. They also comprise 4 professional ensembles for hire. Visit GemCityChorus.org for more information about the full 50 member Chorus, the smaller Diamond Cut ensemble of 16 ladies or one of the two quartets for your next event.

Gem City is performing this weekend and you are invited. The show, titled Love, Laughter & Song features the Gem City Chorus as well as special guests No Promises and the Fairmont Select Women’s Chorus. Tickets for a show of this caliber are affordable at $20.00 reserved and $15.00 general admission. Grab your tickets at www.ticketracker.com/store/events/189

National Sandwich Day Deals

November 3, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

November 3 is the birthday of John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. This 18th century English noble wanted to eat his meal with one hand during a 24-hour gambling event, so he instructed his servants to serve him his lunchmeat between two slices of bread. To commemorate the birth of the world’s first sandwich-maker, November 3 is now National Sandwich Day!

Arby’s – Sign up for Arby’s emails and get a coupon for a free Roast Beef Classic with the purchase of a drink.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: – BJ’s, which has a variety of sandwiches on its menu, has a $5 off purchase coupon here. Alcoholic beverages are excluded.

Burger King – You can get two breakfast Croissan’wiches for $4 or two extra long cheeseburgers, original chicken sandwiches or big fish sandwich for $5.

Dominoes – Get two oven-baked sandwiches for $5.99 each.

Jersey Mike’s – Get a coupon for $2 off any regular sub. Available to email club members and fans on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Good on Nov. 3.

Logan’s Roadhouse – Join Logan’s Roadhouse Club and receive $5 off your purchase of $20 or more.

Longhorn Steakhouse – Join the Longhorn Steakhouse eClub and receive a free appetizer with the purchase of an adult dinner entrée. You can also use this coupon to get $3 off your purchase of two adult lunch entrees or $1.50 off one adult entrée until Nov. 7.

McAlister’s Deli: A choice of six different club sandwiches is priced at just $4 in honor of National Sandwich Day on Thursday.

Outback Steakhouse – Outback has a coupon for $4 off your check when you purchase two lunch entrees at participating locations. Offer good until Nov. 15.

Panera Bread – Enter code RPUBC2 at checkout to save $3 off your Rapid Pick Up online order. Good until Nov. 6.

Penn Station East Coast Subs: This Cincinnati-based fast-casual chain with abundant locations in the South and Midwest also has a buy-one, get-one-free sandwich offer on the table for November 3.

Quiznos: Download the new chain’s new loyalty app, Toasty Points, and receive a free 4-inch sub with any purchase. Quiznos will also be rolling out special deals all day in honor of National Sandwich Day.

Schlotzky’s Deli: Buy one medium sandwich get one free on National Sandwich Day. You can also get a free small The Original sandwich when you download the Lotz 4 Me app.

Smashburger –Use this coupon to get one adult entrée free with purchase of the same. Good at participating locations until Nov. 4.

Subway – Get a free sub when you buy any sub and drink (in-restaurant only). For each deal purchased, Subway will donate a meal to Feeding America.

Zombie Dogz Sets Opening Date

November 2, 2016 By Guest Contributor

So………, with much excitement, we’d finally like to announce that we are finally opening Sunday, NOVEMBER 13th 2016 @ 1200 Brown St. Suite 150. We will be open from 10am-9pm.

We are offering 12 core Dogz out of the long list of dogs that we have and will always have another 3 to seasonally rotate around throughout the seasonal changes. We are implementing side items other than chips, and also salads, and a new protein, chicken sausages, and also, finally by popular demand, a gluten free bun option????

Something I’d also like to mention is all of the local community we’ve pulled in to help build our location. The artists, marketing people, tech peeps, contractors, design group, realtor company ect……. are all a part of helping our restaurant come together and wouldn’t be what it is now without the help of everyone who’s rode this ride with us. We’d just like to give a special thanks to those mentioned that have really made our new location what it is now❤️

It has been a long journey and we are so proud to finally be at this point of

Art by Matty McTatty

finally showing everyone what we’ve spent 3 years working so hard for, and what we’ve been working on the last 6 months. We’ve really put a lot of our blood, sweat, and tears into our brick and mortar location, and we are just so stoked to finally introduce Zombie Dogz Dayton to the community. We couldn’t have made it this far without everyone’s support over the years. That’s why we are just so full of emotions to finally give Zombie Dogz a permanent place here in Dayton, but most importantly to finally give our employees a permanent job. We are so lucky to have the crew that has stuck by us since the beginning and has believed in us this much to have stuck it out this long with us for this day to finally come. We’ve hired a new crew that we feel is just as rad and are so lucky to have wonderful people working for us.

With all of that being said…….. We super look forward to opening and seeing your lovely faces ?❤️
Now there’s no excuse that you couldn’t find us?

Again, thank you for helping us get to this point. It will never be forgotten❤️

Zombie Dogz

Wanna Learn How To Podcast?

November 2, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

WYSO is hosting a podcasting workshop on Saturday, December 3rd, 9am-5:30pm, at the WYSO studios in Yellow Springs.

Learn the basic skills you need to create your own podcast and what equipment you’ll need to get the job done.

Bring your idea for a podcast and try it out with your fellow participants and instructors.

The workshop will be taught by WYSO General Manager Neenah Ellis, Community Voices coordinator and Wright State University New Media Incubator manager Will Davis, WYSO Morning Edition host and reporter April Laissle, and WYSO webmaster and deputy operations director Juliet Fromholt.

When: Saturday, December 3rd, 9am – 5:30pm
Where: The WYSO Studios, 150 East South College Street in Yellow Springs
Cost: $150/$100 for graduates of WYSO’s Community Voices

Gobbler Gives Bike Tour

November 2, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

Ride a Bike, Make a Difference with Tomfoolery Outdoors and Foodbank Dayton for a food delivery via bicycle on November 19. The Gobbler Gives Bike Tour will celebrate the season of giving with a fun bike ride and food drive. Load up your panniers, baskets, backpacks, trailers with food items and then pedal on a historic tour of Downtown Dayton while visiting food pantries on our way to the Foodbank Dayton. Please note this is different from previous years and will be a shorter ride. This route will focus more on the mission of our ride and allow beginners to participate.Ride a Bike, Make a Difference with Tomfoolery Outdoors and Foodbank DaytonTomfoolery Outdoors and Foodbank Dayton

At the Foodbank Dayton celebrate with fellow riders as we weigh food, enjoy live music, snacks and warehouse tours. At the finish line enjoy a sense of pride for giving to those in need and being active! If that isn’t enough, we have live music, food and beverage for all riders. Stay tuned for details of start, finish and celebration details. Think Thanksgiving feast with your new bicycling family.

Entry fee includes event shirt, celebrations at half way mark and finish line along with other surprises. Food and percentage of proceeds benefit The Foodbank Dayton. You must register by November 9 at noon to guarantee a tour shirt. Online registration closes at noon November 15.

Event day details:
9 – 9:30 am: Registration at Nucleus in Downtown Dayton
9:45 – 11:30 am – Ride to Foodbank Dayton with a Food Pantry visit
11:30 am – 12:15 pm: Celebration and weigh in at Foodbank Dayton
12:15 – 1:15 pm: Historic Food Pantry visit
1:30 -2:30 pm: Thanksgiving Feast at Nucleus in Downtown Dayton.

Sag and shirt sponsorship by Black Pug Bike Repair

Entry Fees:
$25 Gobbler Gives Bike Tour by November 6
$30 Gobbler Gives Bike Tour by November 9 (Shirt deadline)
$35 Gobbler Gives Bike Tour by noon November 15 (online registration closes)
$45 Gobbler Gives Bike Tour Day of event registration (available but not preferred)
Availability

Gobbler Gives Bike Tour Online Regisration

Stolen Base Means Free Tacos For All

November 2, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

Whether your team Cubs or Go Tribe, everyone wins today with Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco giveaway today! Taco Bell threw out the challenge:

If one of the Cleveland Indians or Chicago Cubs steals a base in Game 1 (Oct. 25)
or Game 2 (Oct. 26) of the series, you can snag a free Doritos Locos Taco on Nov. 2.

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, stole a base in the first inning of Game 1 on Tuesday night, which enables all of us to get a free taco today between 2-6pm at your favorite Taco Bell. The Doritos Locos Tacos are a hard taco shell akin to Doritos, filled with beef, cheese and lettuce.

According to Taco Bell, there is no purchase necessary, but management reserves the right to deny service if they believe you are double dipping. Free tacos are also subject to availability. This is the sixth time Taco Bell has given away free tacos in conjunction with the World Series.

Holiday Beer Tasting To Benefit House of Bread

November 1, 2016 By Lisa Grigsby

The winter season holds many gifts for beer lovers in the form of big, bold ales designed to fend off the cold chill of a long winter’s night.

The 2nd Annual Beerry Christmas Dayton has gathered up a couple dozen of these winter warmers for a joyous holiday celebration on Saturday, November 5th to benefit the House of Bread, a non-profit community kitchen serving hot, nutritious, lunchtime meals to anyone in need 7 days a week to anyone hungry that shows us at their door between 11:30am and 1pm.

There are so many holiday ales, porters and stouts to choose from every holiday season, this event is perfect to sample many of them before you commit to buying your holiday stash!

Here’s how the event works:

Buy a ticket (just $25 in advance- buy online, or $30 at the door)
A sponsorship from Westminster Financial has helped us keep our ticket prices low.

Show up at Kettering Tower (corner of 2nd & Main St.) between 4-7pm

Get your Souvenir tasting glass and 15 tickets, each good for a 4 oz sample
Thank you to Iworks Laser & Vision Center for our adorable glassaware!

Choose from 25 beer, each paired with treats from Whole Foods that include

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Ginger Snaps
Yogurt Covered Pretzels
Butter Toffee Peanuts
Milk & Dark Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
Toasted Coconut Chips

Oh, and be sure and get your picture taken with Santa. Bonus- if the picture turns out great, you can use if for your Christmas Card this year- plenty of time to have them made! Our photo booth is run by Liftoff Entertainment and sponsored by the fine folks at Andrew Gaydosh & Asociates, the Real Estate Experts!

New Additions to the event this year include a Chinese Raffle. Buy tickets for $5, $3 for 10 or 8 for $20 and put them into the box corresponding with the prize you most covet. Some of the goodies include a deluxe beer cooler, Beer Advent Boxes, Restaurant Gift Cards and more.

Bonbright Distributors has donated lots of beer glassware and you can score some of these collectibles by bringing a donation for the House of Bread, from their most wanted list. Here’s what Executive Director Melody Bennett has told us they most need:

Coffee
Salad Dressing (Ranch & Italian)
Peanut butter and Jelly (in non-breakable jars)
Pancake mix and syrup.

Held in the heart of downtown, Beerry Christmas Dayton celebrates these winter ales created specifically to bring warmth and cheer to the holiday season. From Belgians and Barleywines to Stouts and Sours, these beers are rich, robust and full of complex flavors.

While the beer list is not complete, we’re waiting on arrivals, here’s what we can confirm:

Ballast Point Cinnamon Raisin Commodore
Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale
Breckenridge Christmas Ale
Death by Coconut
CM Christkindl
Fat Heads Holly Jolly
Goose Island Festivity
Great Lake Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Ohio City Oatmeal Stout
Heavy Seas Winter Storm
Holly Jolly
Java Man
MadTree Thundersnow
Nutcracker Ale
Rhinegeist Dad
Sam Adams White Christmas
Southern Tier 2xmas Double Spiced Ale
Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale
Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs
Thundersnow
Warped Wing Esther’s Li’l Secret
Winter Storm
60 Minute IPA

So come toast to the spirits of the season. We look forward to seeing you on Sat, November 5th…Cheers!
·

‘No, No, Nanette’ Review – Wright State University – Nifty Nostalgia

November 1, 2016 By Russell Florence, Jr.

Forget June. Silly, feel-good fun is bustin’ out all over Wright State University’s outstanding presentation of the rarely staged 1971 revision of the 1925 musical comedy “No, No, Nanette” in the Festival Playhouse of the Creative Arts Center.

(left to right) Meredith Zahn as Lucille Early, Dakota Mullins as Billy Early, Brandon Kinley as Tom Trainor, Lauren Everett as Nanette, Kyle Krichbaum as Jimmy Smith, Grace Liesch as Sue Smith, and the cast of Wright State University’s production of “No, No, Nanette” perform “Take a Little One-Step.” (Contributed photo)

Amusingly adapted by Burt Shevelove (“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”), “No, No, Nanette” is an old-fashioned confection about blossoming romance and kooky shenanigans predominately set in Atlantic City circa 1925. Spunky Nanette loves her chipper boyfriend Tom Trainor, but matters grow complicated through various entanglements and goofy misunderstandings particularly surrounding Jimmy Smith, her guardian, and Billy Early, Jimmy’s lawyer. The unabashedly hokey book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel communicates the madcap antics with varying success as some jokes hit their target while others land with an awkward thud. Still, the story rests comfortably within Harbach, Irving Caesar and Vincent Youmans’ dandy score. “Too Many Rings Around Rosie,” “Tea for Two,” “I Want to Be Happy,” and “Take a Little One-Step” are among the many musical numbers fantastically choreographed by guest artist Michael Baxter who recently completed his fifth season as resident choreographer of the MUNY in St. Louis. Baxter’s consistently fabulous tap routines and the importance of capturing the essential, cutesy flavor of the Roaring Twenties is expertly overseen by director Joe Deer who keeps the show’s purely escapist pedigree at a deliriously sunny high.
The bright and bubbly Lauren Everett sparkles in the plucky titular role. In addition to her radiant vocals, Everett conveys keen period-flavored nuances and brings heartfelt earnestness to Nanette’s desire to break free from her sheltered existence. Kyle Krichbaum, as lovable scoundrel Jimmy, aptly handles his chief task of providing befuddled comic relief as Jimmy copes with the shock of being confronted by his former flings (Betty from Boston, Winnie from Washington, and Flora from San Francisco enjoyably and respectively played with dim-witted vivacity by Caroline Chisholm, Danielle Bessler, and physical comedienne Megan Valle). As Billy, dynamically debonair leading man Dakota Mullins (a knockout last season as Tommy Djilas in “The Music Man”) impressively demonstrates his finesse as a marvelously mature, Jerome Robbins-esque dancer in “The Call of the Sea,” a remarkable showcase allowing him to display his terrific lines, masculine elegance, and great agility (notice his cartwheel off a piano!). Grace Liesch is fittingly tightly-wound as Jimmy’s wife Sue, but wonderfully loosens up at the show’s climax (in the vein of Sandy Dumbrowski) to lead a rousing rendition of “Take a Little One-Step.” Amiable tenor Brandon Kinley warmly complements Everett in tone as the straight-laced Tom. The humorous Bailey Edmonds is believably agitated as Jimmy and Sue’s long-suffering maid Pauline. Meredith Zahn, as Billy’s wife Lucille, serves feisty sophistication, particularly shining alongside Mullins in the superb duet “You Can Dance with Any Girl” and bringing compelling yearning to torch song “Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues.” The very talented ensemble offers sharp characterizations and heightens the innate effervescence of many spirited numbers including a charming ukulele finale.
Scenic designer Pam Lavarnway supplies a striking art deco creation for Jimmy and Sue’s swanky NYC home and takes an enchantingly quaint approach for their Atlantic City cottage resting beside a lovely cloudburst backdrop. Costumer Elizabeth Bourgeois, in her WSU debut, provides attractively colorful attire perfectly suited to the era. Jessica Ann Drayton’s lighting design, music director Scot Woolley’s splendid 16-piece orchestra, and the exemplary onstage piano accompaniment of dapper duo John Slate and David Hapner (bolstering the score’s bouncy joys on opposite sides of the proscenium) are added delights.
Reminiscent of tap-driven musicals “42nd Street,” “Dames at Sea,” “Crazy for You,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and current hit “Holiday Inn” to name a few, “No, No, Nanette” stands as a vibrantly entertaining homage to bygone Broadway.

“No, No, Nanette” continues through Nov. 13 at the Creative Arts Center Festival Playhouse of Wright State University, 3640 Col. Glenn Hwy., Fairborn. Performances are Nov. 2, 3, and 10 at 7 pm, Nov. 4, 5, 11, and 12 at 8 pm, and Nov. 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 2 pm. The production is performed in 2 hours and 40 minutes including one 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 students and seniors. For tickets or more information, call (937) 775-2500 or visit https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/theatre-dance-and-motion-pictures.“No, No, Nanette” stands as a vibrantly entertaining homage to bygone Broadway.

In related news, Tony, Emmy and Academy Award-winning scenic and costume designer Tony Walton will discuss his career on Broadway and in Hollywood at Wright State on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Walton will give a public talk from 10 a.m. to noon in the Festival Playhouse of the Creative Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public. He will also give a workshop to design and technology students in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Space is available for limited number of observers to attend the 1:30 p.m. workshop. To attend, contact Amanda Brewer, administrative assistant to the Musical Theatre Initiative, at [email protected] or 775-4204.
Walton’s visit to Wright State in sponsored by the Musical Theatre Initiative (MTI) at Wright State University, an international center dedicated to celebrating and exploring the history, culture and craft of the musical theatre through concerts, conferences, teaching workshops and special events. The Musical Theatre Initiative’s focus this year is on “Legacies,” celebrating the work and careers of the creators of many of musical theatre’s greatest works. In addition to Walton, MTI will welcome Broadway documentarian Rick McKay, who produced and directed “Broadway: The Golden Age”; a master teacher from the Verdon Fosse Legacy project who will recreate one of Bob Fosse’s legendary dances from “Sweet Charity”; and famed lyricist Sheldon Harnick, best known for “Fiddler on the Roof” and “She Loves Me.” Dates and information for these guests will be announced soon.
Past guests of the Musical Theatre Initiative have included Tony and Emmy Award-winner Leslie Uggams, Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, “Rent” star Adam Pascal and more than a dozen renowned teachers.

Election Night 5 Course Vodka Pairing Event

November 1, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

We first told you about brunch at the Blue Note in Miamisburg and now we’re excited to share with you an upcoming Five Course Absolut Vodka & Food Pairing event they will be hosting on Tuesday November 8th. While the nation is busy awaiting voting results you could be enjoying a leisurely evening of cocktails and great tastes.

Here’s Chef Anthony Balsamo menu:

Course 1: Taboo Martini paired with an assortment of European cured meats and artisan cheeses.

Course 2: Harvest Peach Cocktail paired with our one-of-a-kind Blue Note Salad.

Course 3: Apple Pear White Sangria paired with flaky Barramundi (Asian sea bass) with a traditional Spanish coastal sauce.

Course 4: Blood Orange Cosmo paired with Hungarian skewered chicken with potato dumplings.

Course 5: Mr. Goodbar paired with Gene’s Dark Chocolate dessert sampler.

The Blue Note Bistro and Lounge

23 E Central Ave, Miamisburg, Ohio 45342

$50 per guest – includes 5 handcrafted cocktails and food pairings for each. Space is limited for this event. Please book as soon as possible by contacting Gene Bowling by phone at (937) 247-3000 or by email at [email protected].

Rotary Clubs Donates Coats To Kids In Need

November 1, 2016 By Dayton Most Metro

Centerville Rotary Club has partnered with local children’s nonprofit Hannah’s Treasure Chest for the fourth year to provide warm winter coats for children in need.

The club raised nearly $7,500 to purchase 419 coats from Operation Warm, a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization that provides quality, new coats to children in need through partnerships with other nonprofits. The Rotary Club then donated the coats to Hannah’s Treasure Chest for that organization to include in care packages for children in need.

“The coats provided by the Centerville Rotary Club arrived at just the right time to help local children stay warm this winter,” said Sarah Williams, executive director of Hannah’s Treasure Chest. “Each year, just as the need has been the greatest, their generosity has boosted our ability to provide new, warm coats in the right sizes to the children we serve.”

Ron Hollenbeck, current president of the Centerville Rotary Club, introduced the project to the Centerville Rotary Club four years ago when he moved to the area from Pennsylvania.

“In Pennsylvania, I was a member of Rotary with Richard Sanford, the founder of Operation Warm,” Hollenbeck said. “When I moved here and suggested this project to Centerville Rotary, the members were intrigued.”

Over the past four years, the Centerville Rotary Club has provided Hannah’s Treasure Chest with nearly 1,350 new children’s coats purchased from Operation Warm. The club collects donations from members from July to September to help fund the cost of the coats.

“We’d like to invite other Rotary Clubs in the area to join in this project so we can provide even more coats to keep kids warm,” said Hollenbeck. “There’s such an unmet need that we can all help fill.” In 2017 Centerville Rotary would like to combine fundraising efforts with other Rotary Clubs or service clubs to increase the number of coats purchased for children in need. Club president Ron Hollenbeck may be reached at 937-885-3902 to schedule a presentation to interested groups.

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Dayton Club President Amy Radachi accepting a District 6670 grant.

The Dayton Rotary Club, which meets each Monday over lunch at Sinclair Community College, has been running a coat program as well, since the fall of 2010. Coat Chair project chair Alisa Ferguson Zink, who serves as Vice President of Heartland Federal Credit Union, has wrangled this project for several years, encouraging the Dayton club members to donate a coat, or money to purchase a coat and then she handles the coat shopping. Each year the club raises funds to provide a winter coat, hat and gloves for over 200 students.

“When we first started we selected one school to support in the district. In the last several years we have purchased coats to support the homeless population of students in the DPS school system and if resources allow to go beyond the homeless to serve additional students in economically disadvantaged home situations,” shared Laura Erbaugh, Dayton Rotary’s Executive Director.

Just yesterday the Dayton Rotary Club received a grant from Rotary District 6670, which is made up of 52 Rotary clubs and over 3,100 members, for $4000 to purchase additional coats this year.

There are 34,282 Rotary clubs worldwide and over 1.2 million individuals have joined these clubs. The Rotarian’s primary motto is “Service Above Self” and it’s obvious that these clubs take is serious, working to keep children in the Miami Valley warm all winter. For more information on Rotary or to find a club near you, visit the District website.