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Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Archives for August 2017

Foodtrucks, Fireworks, Flight & Fun at Runway Fest

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The Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport is once again inviting the community to its annual for Runway Fest open house – its sixth annual family-friendly festival – which will take place from 6 pm to 10 pm, this Friday, August 11th.
“Summer just wouldn’t be complete without the Runway Fest at the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport,” said Terry Slaybaugh, director of aviation for the City of Dayton. “Dayton residents and visitors gather from the entire region to celebrate aviation and enjoy this annual event.”
Runway Fest is an evening that the whole family can enjoy, including a live performance by Ashley Martin Band;inflatables for the kids and multiple aircraft displays.  The young-and young at heart-can visit the bounce house, have their faces painted, and take to the sky with airplane rides all while enjoying the atmosphere of a fun, family-friendly evening.
Participating food trucks include:
Wrappin & Rollin Café
Zombie Dogz
Kowalski Hots
El Meson
Good Golly Miss Molly
Ice Cream Trolley
Sweet Maize Kettle Corn
Buckeye Snowie
Festivities will end with a dazzling display when a Rozzi Fireworks lights up the night sky at 9:30 pm.
Visitors may bring lawn chairs or blankets. No coolers, pets, alcoholic beverages or outside food or beverages are allowed.  Parking is available at the Airport at 11160 N. Springboro Pike. Please park at the airport. For safety reasons, we suggest that guests do not attempt to park off site and walk across this extremely busy intersection.
 
Runway Fest is sure to be a great event for the community. Air craft enthusiasts,families and anyone just looking for a great way to spend a summer evening should plan to attend.
Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport is a general aviation airport owned and operated by the City of Dayton.
 The City of Dayton Department of Aviation, Miami Township, Commander Aero, and ASI are working together to organize the event. Several localbusinesseshavepartnered withorganizerstohelp make thefestivalasuccess.

Five Ways to Enjoy Art on the Commons

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Rosewood Arts Centre’s premier annual event, Art on the Commons, is almost here! This fine arts and crafts festival has been going strong for 29 years – next year, we celebrate the big 3-0. The festival features over 100 artists in a variety of media. All the artwork is juried to make sure the quality is top notch. Perusing the booths is a great way to spend a Sunday. Here are some of the many fun things to check out at the event, affectionately known around here as AOTC!

1.  All the art

So, 100 artists. As always, it’s a great mix of new folks and returning favorites. This year’s categories are ceramics, digital art, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, works on paper and wood.

We mentioned jurying – wondering what that means? Our three jurors, Lisa Goldberg, owner of Lisa Goldberg Ceramics, Mary Gray, Director of the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery, and Pat Higgins, Vice President of the Kettering Arts Council, reviewed all the AOTC submissions and ranked each artist based on design, originality, presentation, audience appeal and eligibility. Come see (and buy) the artwork that stood out from the crowd.

2. The setting

You might have noticed that we’re all about Kettering’s parks. And why wouldn’t we be? Lincoln Park is home toLincoln Park beautiful flowers, Kettering’s iconic fountains, lots of public art, and it features plenty of green spaces, shade trees and benches for resting your feet. Come enjoy the park while it’s bustling with people and full of even more great artwork.

3. Live music

Art on the Commons has featured live music for several years now. This year, we’re changing things up a little to bring you the sweet sounds of the WYSO Excursions Stage with Niki Dakota. Bringing listeners eclectic sounds from around the world and from closer to home, WYSO especially loves to champion local artists and music that embodies the diversity of the Miami Valley. Rosewood Arts Centre and WYSO are delighted to showcase the uniqueness of Art on the Commons and of our local music heroes. The stage will feature Daniel Dye & the Miller Road Band, Shrug, Lioness and The Pullouts. Give it a listen – it’s free!

4. Food trucks

Greek foodThe region is home to some pretty fabulous food trucks. A tasty selection will be at AOTC, so come hungry. Harvest Mobile offers chef-prepared, locally sourced favorites; Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops will keep you cool in the August heat (we’ve never met a Sweet P’s flavor we didn’t like, by the way); Bella Sorella Pizza is serving up wood-fired deliciousness; and BJ Events has the Greek food we dream about the other 364, non-AOTC days of the year. Seriously, the gyros.

The Fraze Pavilion’s Ernie’s Concessions will also be open for business with festival favorites like hot dogs, nachos and pretzels.

Kids crafts5. Family fun

Families with littles are more than welcome at AOTC. There’s even a selection of free activities just for you! Kids are welcome to make finger puppets, beaded jewelry and an amazing origami Viking ship. The new Kaleidoscope van will make its first trip to AOTC to lead a fun art and nature activity all about the butterfly! The talented Rosewood faculty will also be on hand to show off their skills at fiber arts, jewelry making, painting and drawing.

 

This piece was written by Sara Thomas and originally appeared on www.playkettering.org and is reprinted with permission.

Dayton Visual Arts: Community Supported Art- Harvest Party

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For DVAC’s 2017 CSA, fifty shares are made available to the public for $350 per share. Four amazing artists are commissioned to create an image (at least 8 x 10 inches in size and not larger than 11 x 17) for shareholders in an edition of 50.

Shareholders receive two original, signed photographs and two original, signed prints, totaling four images, at a late summer Harvest Party.

Mudlick Tap House 50 West Beer Dinner

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Mudlick Tap House invites you to join us for an evening with Fifty West Brewing Company to be held on our beautiful second floor private dining/drinking space. Guests will be welcomed with a pint of their choice for a few minutes of mingling with outher craft beer and food enthusiasts.

Mudlick Tap House has an amazingly talented culinary team that has been wowing people, but this is their chance to really strut their stuff. Four courses of mouth watering dishes each paired with one of Fifty West’s brews, this is truly an event that is not to be missed.
Each course will be described by chef Chris Coherd and Sous Chef Jon Mezara with beer descriptions by Fifty West.

Full menu and draft lineup to be announced soon!
Cost is $55/per person and includes:
Welcome Pint
Four Course Dinner
5oz. pairing for each course
Fifty West Brewing Pint Glass

Secure your place at the table today. Seating is limited and reservations are required by emailing [email protected]

The Dark Tower: Generic Good-vs-Evil Storytelling

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“Who told me they didn’t like ‘Throw Ya Gunz’ by Onyx?! WHO SAID IT?!” Roland (Idris Elba) engages in a shootout in a scene in director Nikolaj Arcel’s adaptation of Stephen King’s THE DARK TOWER. Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures © 2017 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved. 


WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 


KEY CAST MEMBERS: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Claudia Kim, Fran Kranz, Abbey Lee, Katheryn Winnick, Nicholas Paulding and Jackie Earle Haley

WRITER(S): Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinker, Anders Thomas Jensen and Nikolaj Arcel (screenplay); Stephen King (based on the novels by) 

DIRECTOR(S): Nikolaj Arcel 

 
WEB SITE: http://www.thedarktower-movie.com/site/HERE’S THE STORY: Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) keeps having nightmares of a world where a mysterious man in black looms in a threatening manner while a man styled like a Wild West gunslinger tries to stop him … All while a tall, dark tower stands constantly under attack.


While Jake’s mom (Claudia Kim) and stepdad (Nicholas Paulding) think whatever Jake is seeing is made up, Jake himself quickly learns that it is not once he sees people from his vision in his home that are supposedly from a clinic designed to help kids like him. Fast-forward a bit and Jake then realizes that the man in black is Walter (Matthew McConaughey), a sorcerer who is determined to collapse the dark tower from his dreams. Jake also discovers that the gunslinger is named Roland (Idris Elba), a man who is the last of his kind and determined to stop Walter. 

(On a personal note, Roland is also seeking revenge against Walter for what he did to his father – Dennis Haysbert – but you’ll learn more about that as the story goes on.) 


And as Jake is soon about to discover, his role in either saving or destroying not only his world but all of those in existence is a critical one indeed …

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? McConaughey fans; people who like basic sci-fi stories; anyone who will enjoy all of Easter eggs connecting the film to other works of Stephen King; those who want a Cliff Notes®-style overview of the book series

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who hate films that feel like Cliff Notes®/watered-down versions of larger, deeper stories; anyone who loves King’s books but feels that most of the film adaptations lose the spirit of the story; anyone looking for something with a definitive quality to the storytelling and/or its presentation; moviewatchers who, if they start pointing out flaws in a film, can’t stop once they do; Idris Elba fans 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? The cinematic equivalent to a frozen version of your favorite restaurant chain’s food in your local grocery store, The Dark Tower is a fast and loose adaptation of what is the introduction to what is the Stephen King Universe (literally) that needs to be slower, steadier and more serious than it is. 


The Dark Tower was once considered to be a project too arduous to possibly film in one take … Looking at the finished result, that coupled with reports of a troubled production make that idea seems to ring truer than ever as just about everything in the film feels truncated even if like (ADMISSION: yours truly) you’ve not read one page of the book. Plot points feel rushed, dialogue is boiled down to the most simplistic of exchanges and – at 91 minutes – and the film has an aforementioned Cliff Notes® feel to it. I can almost imagine this exchange at many offices across the country come next Monday:


Person 1: “I saw The Dark Tower this weekend.”


Person 2: “I read the books but was going to wait – how was it?”


Person 1, who has not read the books: “It was good. I liked how the made everything seem like one big world but didn’t overdo it with too many details to keep the story simple so that the Gunslinger’s final confrontation with The Man in Black was tense.”


Person 2: “What did you think of the connections to The Shining and 1408? How was Stephen King’s character in the movie versus how it was in the books? Did you catch all the high speech references?”


Person 1, feeling flop sweat forming: “Yeah … Oh man – I need coffee.”


Then again, even if you are Person 1 in this scenario, you might realize that the story feels a bit, well, dry, given its reputation as King’s magnum opus work given the generic feel of film. Instead of intense, gripping drama, you get paint-by-numbers “and the bad guy does this and the good guy reacts like this” storytelling with McConaughey playing the cool villain like Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in the mid-90s and Elba as the straight-laced (a.k.a. borderline boring) man after him. It’s rare that you want a movie to be longer, but with The Dark Tower, save from Taylor’s pretty stellar turn as young Jake Chambers, you don’t care so much about the story other than seeing what you already just know has to be coming. (And if a Stephen King story feels predictable, that cannot be good, right?) 


Throw in scenes that feel thrown in just to exist, the fact McConaughey’s character seemingly could kill EVERYONE in EVERY universe simply by saying it into reality EXCEPT Roland apparently for reasons that are not clearly detailed and, most important of all, does NOTHING to make itself seem distinct (as so many other King stories have) other than being a distilled good-versus-evil Western and what do you have? 


A rather generic film made from what is supposed to be one of the most distinct stories in an acclaimed writer’s bibliography. The movie is OK, but it’s nothing special – and that’s a shame that when the goal should have clearly been for director Nikolaj Arcel and company to not have forgotten the face of their story’s father.

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

 

#HomeGrownStories – Michael Scheib- K’s Hamburger Shop

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K’s Hamburger Shop is a cornerstone of Troy dining. The diner opened July 31, 1935 (which means it celebrated its 82nd birthday this year). Michael Scheib is a fourth generation K’s customer. He has worked at the establishment for the past 8 years and he recently became the third-generation in his family to own a business in Troy.

His connection to Miami County:
I’m from Miami County. My mom owns Expressions of the Home and my grandpa owned a business in Troy. I’m a third-generation business owner here in Troy.

About K’s Hamburger Shop:
We turned 82 yesterday. K’s was started in 1935 by Paul and David Klein. Doris was Paul’s wife and she helped out a great deal. We were across the street from 1935 to 1940. In 1940 they moved across the street to where it is now. The original building ended where that counter is. It was ten stools. I’m having the original blueprints framed so we can display them. I wish they were finished so I could show them to you. In 1948 they added the red booths. In the 1950s they added that room over there. We call that the “new room” even though it was done in ‘58 [laughs].

We still grind our own meat and cook on a wet grill. That was typical of diners in the 1930s. When the flat top grill came out diners switched to that but we never made the change. We do change the oil that the hamburgers are cooked in. There’s a rumor that we haven’t changed the oil since the ’30s but we do it every night [laughs]. I’ve done it myself. We also have salads and five homemade soups. We make malted milkshakes and pie.

I’ve been here for 8 years, so a tenth of the time that K’s has been here [laughs]. I want to take the shop to 100 years and we’ll see how far past that I can go. I dress the way the diner employees dressed in the 1930s. Mr. Klein wore a tie, white shirt, and pants and a white apron. I get too dirty so I don’t wear a white apron [laughs]. In the ‘30s the color white signified the cleanliness of the restaurant. That’s why the walls are white and they wore white.

I met my wife here at K’s. She’s a teacher at Troy Christian. Her parents have a dairy farm out here on the corner of 41 and 202. She’s a fourth-generation K’s customer. I’m also a fourth-generation K’s customer. My wife came in here and sat at the counter and that’s how we started talking. I owe a great deal to this hamburger shop. [laughs]

On the community response to K’s over the years:
The community response has been very good, of course. The average lifespan of a new restaurant is two years thereabouts. So the fact that we’ve been here for 82 years is pretty impressive. We’re the first sandwich shop in Troy and I think we’re the third oldest business in Troy.

They started the restaurant in the middle of the Great Depression. Mr. Klein said, “If you want a job you have to make a one.” They knew the business was going to make it when they could clear $20 a week. That’s amazing to think about when they were selling hamburgers for a nickel. They were very honored that their customers would spend their nickel with them.

What do you love most about Miami County?
K’s! [laughs] It’s very much home and there’s no greater place than home.

What are your Miami County favorites or recommendations for out-of-town visitors?
I should say my mom’s shop, so check out Expressions of the Home. Haren’s Market is what used to be my grandpa’s shop. Folks should check out the different downtowns and support the local shops. It’s the best way to get the feel of the place. I’m pretty boring. [laughs] I don’t get out much. I’m here six days a week and on the seventh day, I go to church. If I’m not here, I’m either at Kroger buying something for the shop, at church or at home!

K’s Hamburger Shop
117 East Main Street Troy, Ohio
(937) 339-3902

 

This story first appeared on the Miami County Convention and Visitors Bureau website.  Follow author,  storyteller and interviewer, Courtney Denning, at ThisOhioLife.com.

FREE Firehouse Sub With Water Donation Saturday

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With record-setting high temperatures creating dangerous weather conditions across the country, Firehouse Subs invites guests nationwide to help in its effort to support America’s first responders with the sixth annual H2O for Heroes bottled water collection drive.

On Saturday, August 5, all Firehouse Subs restaurants will provide one medium sub* to each guest who donates an unopened, 24-pack of bottled water. The donated water will be provided to local first responders and community support organizations to aid those most in need of water during the hot summer months when the risk of dehydration and other heat-related illnesses is most threatening.

In 2012, Phoenix-area franchisees Jerry and Windy Griffin launched H2O for Heroes as a local initiative to encourage bottled water donations at a time when wildfires and drastic heat had depleted the supplies of several first responder organizations.

“When my husband Jerry and I came up with the idea to start H2O for Heroes, we never imagined the response from the community would be so overwhelmingly supportive,” said Firehouse Subs Franchisee Windy Griffin.

Now in its sixth year, and its second as a nationwide effort, the program continues to provide much-needed relief to first responders. Last year’s drive resulted in more than 528,000 bottles of water donated to local heroes and citizens in need. With heat records rising across the country and sweltering temperatures igniting wildfires from California to Georgia, the demand for donated water remains high this year as well.

“We hear from so many departments that don’t have the additional money to purchase bottled water, and the donations they receive from our guests assist them in a variety of emergency situations,” continued Griffin. “From hydrating firefighters in the scorching summer heat to keeping K9 officers cool on patrol, this water is a life-saving tool.”

Firehouse Subs currently serves its signature hot subs to guests in 44 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and most recently the brand made its debut in airports with Jacksonville International.

Dayton Area Firehouse Subs:

6 Oakwood Ave,
Dayton, OH 45409
 (937) 813-1585
Open Sat 10:30am –  10:00pm
4301 Far Hills Ave, Kettering, OH 45429
Open Sat 10:30am – 9pm
North Heights Plaza
8436 Old Troy Pike, Dayton, OH 45424
Open Sat 10:30am –  10:00pm

 

To find a location near you, visit  www.firehousesubs.com, or download the brand’s mobile loyalty rewards app, Firehouse Rewards, available on Google Play and the App Store.

*Limit one medium sub per person, per case of unopened 24-pack bottled water.

A New Way to Explore Downtown Dayton

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Have you heard about the latest way your can tour the city?  Touring Carts will zip you around town on a  sightseeing adventure in their open air golf carts.  The public tours occur on the weekends and last between 2 to 2.5 hours depending on traffic, stops, questions, and the enthusiasm of the group. Private tours can occur almost anytime. Bellbrook residents Aaron, Alex and their dad John Meixner are the owners of this innovative business launched this summer.

The Dayton Deluxe Tour:

All about innovation, imagination, and inspiration! Your journey begins at Oregon District where you can admire the architecture of the city’s most historic neighborhood. Travel to 2nd Street Market to find local crafts and homemade treats. Feel the vibe of new construction like Tech Town, Water Street Apartments, and Fifth Third Field. Wander among the fountains of RiverScape and watch kayakers shoot the rapids at River Run. Relive the 1913 flood and hear about visionaries like Patterson and the Wrights. Visit the Schuster Center, the home of the performing arts. Explore the University of Dayton and browse the bookstore to discover the perfect souvenir. Honor the city’s leaders at Woodland Cemetery and learn about their contributions. This is the tour to earn your degree in Daytonology!  The tour runs about 2 1/2 hours.

Dayton’s Most Haunted

Many know Dayton as the birthplace of aviation. However, only a few discover the secrets hidden from the history books. Be escorted to the sites of the city’s lesser-known tales of woe: a beautiful teacher’s unrequited love, an actress awaiting her final bow, a leader who never left his vigilant post. Visit the location of the first burial grounds and wonder what may linger. Follow the bloody path of Dayton’s most notorious predator and stand on the ground where his victims met their end. Visit the shadowy edges of reality while you learn about the region’s history of scandal, crime, and the afterlife. This is the tour to discover why Dayton is truly first in fright!  This tour runs 2 hours.  Caution! Children under 12 are not recommended.
 Tours run $25 per person and offer 4 or 6 person cart.  You can book your tours online.

Get Wet & Wild at Canoegrass This Weekend

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Canoegrass is a playing in the river, laughing your ass off kind of bluegrass festival and campout. The banks of the Great Miami River will come alive with the best entertainers in the region.
This isn’t your ordinary festival. Get ready to get wet, wild and stomp your feet and splash your friends all weekend long. The best seat in the house just may be from a canoe or tube!

Italian Club Gears up for “Festa Forty”

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“Festa Forty”

We have some super secret scoop about this year’s Dayton Italian Festival.

The John Pirelli Lodge at Bella Villa Hall is planning the biggest fall festa in Dayton’s history.  It is the 40th year for this popular Dayton festival, which always takes place the weekend after Labor Day.  For 2017, those dates are Fri. Sept 8th, Sat. Sept 9th and Sun. Sept 10th.

This year we have a big announcement concerning a new beer available only at the Festa.
In a collaborative with Warped Wing Brewing Company, The Italian club will be serving “Limoncella Lager” at the Festa.  Festa Director Brian Andsik announced the news, explaining that the beer would be a similar to the popular Lemon Shandy Wheat beer from Leinenkugel, only a lighter version. Again, the lager will be a small batch brewed exclusively for the festival by Dayton’s Warped Wing Brewery.

The Food Adventure Crew and Dayton Most Metro will be working the Festa again this year, at the wine and beer booths.

Other Features for the “Festa Forty” will include:
—FABULOUS FRIDAY LUNCH TO GO: Phone in orders to 937-258-3600 from 9am to 11am. Pickup lunches from 11am-1pm, CASH ONLY.

—SPAGHETTI EATING CONTEST – Saturday September 9th at 3pm.

Stuffed Shells

—MEATBALL MADNESS 5k at 10am Sunday, September 10th – click here to signup

—$5 SPAGHETTI DINNER SUNDAY – to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Festa

— Best Festa Entertainment lineup EVER – All star bands including:
***RAY MASSA (Fri 6-8pm, Sat 8:30-11pm)
***DR. ZOOT (Fri 830-11pm, Sat 3-5pm)
***HAPPY DAYS (Sat noon-230pm, Sun noon-3pm)
***AARON CARUSO (Sat 530-8pm, Sun 5-8pm)

—BOCCE COURTS AVAILABLE FOR RENT BY THE HOUR

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY ON THE 40th ANNUAL FALL FESTA:

Italian Sausage Sandwich

WHEN:
Friday Sept 8, 6PM-11PM
Saturday Sept 9, Noon-11PM
Sunday Sept 10, Noon-8PM

WHERE: John Pirelli Lodge, Bella Villa Hall – 2625 County Line Rd, Beavercreek

—FREE PARKING, FREE ADMISSION – FREE SHUTTLE from REYNOLDS and REYNOLDS PARKING LOT.

— FOOD FOOD FOOD !
Dinners served inside the Bella Villa Hall:
Fri. Baked Pasta
Sat. Stuffed Shells
Sun $5 Spaghetti

Cannoli

—OTHER FOOD STATIONS:
Cannoli, Pasta Fagioli, Wedding Soup, Cavatelli, Calzones, Pizza, Muffaleta, Sfingi (funnel cakes), Italian Pastries, Italian cookies, Deli Sandwiches, Italian Sausages, Meatball Subs and more.

—BEER TRUCKS, WINE and SO MUCH MORE !

—Sorry, due to insurance liabilities, no pets allowed, except for service animals.

Don’t miss this chance for a Food Adventure, and the special beer unveiling.

Hungry Jax, Big Ragu and Chef House will see you at the FALL FESTA, the weekend after Labor Day, with a plate full of food and some Limoncella Lager !

For more foodie info, like the Facebook page that area foodies love – Food Adventures !  Original scoop, original website, original weekly articles, orginal cooking classes, original food events, and original festivals.  We set the trends… join us for a passionate trip to the Miami Valley’s places of food paradise.

FRIDAY LUNCHES TO GO !

Sausages on the grill

Stirring the sauce with an oar

Kids love Italian Fest Pizza !

Beer Truck antics

Play some bocce ball !

Meatball Madness 5k

Stuffed Shells

Big Ragu loves his heritage

Hotties serving hot food

Fun at the Festa !

Meatballs anyone?

Always a good crowd

Tiramisu

cannoli

cavatelli

Meatball sub

Spaghetti Contest eater

$5 Spaghetti dinner on Sunday Sept 11th

 

 

You Could Own The Wicked ‘Witch

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What does the Wicked Wich have in store for Friday ?

Katie Marks, owner of the The Wicked ‘Wich of Dayton,an  award winning food truck in Dayton, has announced the truck and the business are for sale.

If you’d like to own it, here’s what you get, according to Katie’s Facebook post:

Turnkey style, ready for fast transfer to operate. Brand, equipment, and usage include (but not limited to):

-ALL recipes that attributed to the truck’s success. This includes the “Lady Marmalade,” which is a two-time finalist for Best Sandwich in Dayton.

-ALL rights to the brand including website, all social media handles, email, and logo

-1982 Chevy P30 box truck outfitted for a mobile kitchen. This includes power, HVAC, plumbing, ventilation, and serving windows, all up to health code for Montgomery County.

-All commercial equipment necessary to perform the operation. From the 2′ flattop with a 4 burner range and 2 oven combo to the turners needed to flip the sandwiches over.

-The lease to a beautifully renovated kitchen commissary area, 1500 square feet, that includes a double door reach in refrigerator and freezer, prep tables, commercial slicers, all required hand sinks, wire shelving, garage storage area, 5200w running generator, couch and tv, and more.

-List of vendors for local ingredients so there’s no product inconsistency, list of participating clients that utilize our services, and consultation of truck operation for one month.

-Transparency of sales such as records and tax returns. There is also a template that I created to specially track accounting records for a food truck, of which tracks spending to the penny and let’s you see where to cut costs for profitability.

130,000 firm.  Serious inquiries only, please.

TEDxDayton Tickets Now On Sale For Oct Event

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This year’s event is scheduled to take place from 9 am to 4 pm Friday, October 20, at the Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St. in downtown Dayton. Following four consecutive sell-out events, the theme chosen to challenge featured speakers and the audience in the program’s fifth year is “CURRENT.”

“We are very honored and humbled by the support of the community for TEDxDayton,” said TEDxDayton co-chair Diane Farrell. “Hundreds of volunteer hours go into making TEDxDayton the premier thought-inspiring event in the Dayton region. Each year we work hard to ensure that our guests are engaged, challenged and inspired by what they see on stage.”

“We are extremely proud of the lineup of speakers this year, as well as the continued support by our sponsoring partners,” said Ron Rollins, TEDxDayton co-chair. “We are grateful for all of the hard work and thought the committee has put into this and can’t wait to experience TEDxDayton on October 20.”
Speaker auditions have concluded; the lineup will be announced at the end of the summer.

Four ticket levels are available for this year’s event: Student, General Admission, Patron, and Legacy Patron. All tickets will include morning coffee, lunch and an afternoon treat. Patron tickets allow individuals to sponsor the event through a $50 donation. Legacy Patron tickets allow individuals to sponsor the event through a $200 donation, which will support future events, such as the student-run TEDxYouth@Dayton and other TEDxDayton expansion events currently under consideration. Patrons and Legacy Patrons will receive additional recognition in print and/or online materials. To purchase your ticket today, click here.

TEDx is a global program of independently organized events licensed by TED. Visit www.tedxdayton.com or the TEDxDayton Twitter and Facebook accounts for the most up-to-date details on the 2017 event. Videos of talks from the 2013–16 TEDxDayton events can be viewed on the website, as well.

That’s How We Do It In Dayton

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Nothing is more cringe inducing when you are in the middle of conversation about projects and activities at the ideation stage either at work or in the community, when the voices of caution and timidity start chiming in; “that seems risky” or “I don’t know if the community will support this?” and my all-time favorite “that’s now how we do things here.” Internally the risk takers are screaming, but often we cannot get upset with the messenger, they usually deliver this cautiousness in an earnest knowing way; as if risky projects are initiated all the time in this mid-size city and they are unmitigated disasters.  With no overwhelming evidence of high risk successes or consequentially spectacular epic failures I would say that these comments deserve to be banished, especially at the ideation phase.

In the new book “Thank you for Being Late” Thomas Friedman talks about us living in an age of rapid accelerations, a world in which societal progress, technological advancements are happening at speeds that exceed the grasp of imagination, much less our capacity to deal with them. As the rapid progress (Dayton’s version) is occurring in our city, we have to acknowledge and accept that we are still behind other cities of a comparative size.  If every city in the world, and this is a global competition, is reaching for the same sort of civic projects and rebranding, then old tropes, lack of imagination and fear cannot be the starting point for any conversation or dialogue or path forward in developing our city. We all hear a lot of talk about our rich inventive history, our vibrant art scene, but scant talk about what this will look like in the future. Forecasting or visioning a stellar future requires huge imaginative leaps of faith and intellectual curiosity.

In my first year of Graduate school at Ohio State during our Fall convocation, a wonderful Professor of Climatology and Geology gave a great speech about his research in the field of drilling for ice core samples in a glacier in the Andes mountains. His fondest wish for us as incoming first year graduate students was to embolden ourselves to take extraordinary risks of failure in our research endeavors, “If you are not living on the edge, you are just taking up space!”  To that end where is the “edge” for Dayton?  We have seen the effects of businesses deserting downtown, white flight to the suburbs, certain industries vanishing right before our eyes, and a litany of common social ills.  On this front we are not unique, rebuilding our community by embracing/avoiding historical occurrences good or bad, blinds us to the rich potential of the future. In 2001 the late iconic French actress Jeanne Moreau stated in the Guardian Newspaper that nostalgia is “terrible” and poses a threat to life. “The life you had is nothing,” she said. “It is the life you have that is important.”

Every Sunday I visit my parents and family. Our weekly get-togethers are spirited, lively and a much needed recharge from prior week. This past Sunday I was watching a segment on WHIO about the future of the Dayton Airport, which contained some very good talking points for adapting to the new ways people engage and embrace air travel. In talking about plans for the future the conversation turned towards discussions about embracing Millennial habits and their needs as travelers. I remember shouting at the television screen that “it is too late to embrace change to attract millennials it is time to start concentrating on the emerging habits of Generation Z.”

This conversation to me underscores the need for dreaming about big and extraordinary things. That we need to be redirecting our energies towards the future, or we will be in a perpetual state of catching up to rapidly accelerating societal forces. We need to envision what will Dayton be in 2050.

I am an avid and voracious reader of Vogue magazine, as well as the Economist, Dance magazine, Wired, Fast Company, Flaunt, GQ, Town and Country, Washington Post, New York Times, Art Forum and scores of others periodicals. These are windows in the current society we live in and the future we are heading towards. I read in rotation at least six books at a time, fiction and non-fiction works across a broad spectrum of topics.  And I have at least five jobs and art projects that keep me going at all times, which sustains me in ways that go beyond mere monetary compensation. I am not unique or alone, this is the Gig economy in all its glory.  Non-traditional modalities for income, for connecting to purposeful work and being a global citizen are the norm.  No more thirty year careers at the same company and retiring, no gold watch, but I think we get something much better in return, the freedom of untethered possibilities. This a global career phenomenon with a growing local prominence.

Which begs the question; what are the new global economic realities on the horizon and beyond? How do we make Dayton adaptable and edgy enough to be receptive to these possibilities?  It can no longer be a conversation about retention of talent but also a parallel track of attracting talent, fresh blood and new ideas. New ideas that might be so radical that they scare us or whose impact cannot be readily ascertainable.  Ideas that are not safe or cautious. We have to live on that edge or we are doomed to be just taking up space.