Dayton937

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

Archives for November 2020

Are Your Holiday Lights Award Worthy?

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Homes have never been more important than this year – they are our schools, our offices, our sanctuaries. This holiday season, your home continues to be the place of memories and traditions with your family and friends.  The Home Builders Association of Dayton understands that a “house” is a “home” because of the people that live in it and that our communities are a representation of shared values and joy.

This year, more than ever before, we want to spread holiday cheer and connect with one another. All you have to do to enter is send us your photo of you home decked out to [email protected]. Be creative!

On December 15th our Board of Directors will choose the winners.

1st place will get $150

2nd place $100

3rd place $50

Most importantly – Have fun, be kind, and spread a little holiday cheer with us.

BIG BELLS, A Tribute to ACDC

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Comprised of Patrick Himes, Brian Hoeflich, Seth Gilliam, Seth Canan, and Justin Roseberry, this high energy tribute band has planned two full hours of live music that will cure all of the winter time blues!

Tickets will be available at https://www.daytonmasonic.live/ starting Friday, Nov. 6th at 6pm. Auditorium seating will be $20 and floor tables that set 10 will be $250. Capacity is limited to 255 people.

Stay tuned as we have many other exciting projects and announcements in the works!

St. Anne the Tart’s Socially-Distanced Holiday Cookie Swap

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For centuries the comforting ritual of cookie baking and exchanging has been one of the sweetest ties that bind neighbors, friends, and community members together during the holiday season. It’s­ the one time of the year when dozens of billowy sugar cookies laden with thick swoops of icing, gingerbread dusted with powdery sugar, and crispy biscotti for coffee-dipping are baked simply with a desire to share and to send a bit of our family roots into the home of another to let them know that they are loved.

Share Some Recipes.  Or Just Eat the Cookies.

This year we’re not going to let COVID have the last laugh on this 400+ year tradition. Let the holiday merrymaking continue!

In a year of pandemic proportions, we will host our cookie swap in the safest way possible. Here’s how St. Anne the Tart sees this unfolding:

Theme: We’re theming this year’s cookie swap around the idea of family stories. In a year when we have never felt more disconnected from one another, our cookie swap will give you the chance to connect through the sharing of memories, allowing you to know one another in a deeper, more meaningful way. We welcome recipe submissions that are inclusive of all holiday celebrations – from Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day and more.

Submissions: We will be accepting submissions for cookies that have a story attached to them. Maybe it was your grandfather’s recipe he brought from his childhood and baked for his grandkids each year. It could be the memory of the cookie you had while sitting on the lap of Santa for the first time and have replicated ever since. It could be the cookies you remember most fondly baking with your kids when they were small. We want to know not just the recipe, but the story. The feelings and the sentiments about the smells, tastes, and experiences of baking them. While we can ultimately only choose 12 cookie recipes for this year’s box, we will work hard to provide the recipes and stories of all submissions to our St. Anne the Tart Cookie Box customers.

Recipe entries accepted: Nov 25-Dec 2

Recipe winners notified: Dec. 4

Box orders: Order Box.  Now through Dec 11 (or until Sold Out)

Box Pickup: Dec 18

**delivery options available within the US. Please email to request assistance with cookie box delivery at [email protected] 

This year we’re not going to let COVID have the last laugh on this 400+ year tradition. Let the holiday merrymaking continue!

In a year of pandemic proportions, we will host our cookie swap in the safest way possible. Here’s how we see this so beautifully unfolding:

Theme: We’re theming this year’s cookie swap around the idea of family stories. In a year when we have never felt more disconnected from one another, our cookie swap will give you the chance to connect through the sharing of memories, allowing you to know one another in a deeper, more meaningful way. We welcome recipe submissions that are inclusive of all holiday celebrations – from Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, St. Lucia Day and more.

Submissions: We will be accepting submissions for cookies that have a story attached to them. Maybe it was your grandfather’s recipe he brought from his childhood and baked for his grandkids each year. It could be the memory of the cookie you had while sitting on the lap of Santa for the first time and have replicated ever since. It could be the cookies you remember most fondly baking with your kids when they were small. We want to know not just the recipe, but the story. The feelings and the sentiments about the smells, tastes, and experiences of baking them. While we can ultimately only choose 12 cookie recipes for this year’s box, we will work hard to provide the recipes and stories of all submissions to our St. Anne the Tart Cookie Box customers. lease email [email protected] by November 30th. Each submission should have a typed recipe and a written out story behind the recipe. If you have any holiday family photos that would fit well with the story, feel free to send that as well!

Decision: There are no specific criteria for a cookie to be chosen or not, and there is no prize for having your recipe included in this year’s cookie swap box. This is not a lose/win but rather a (tough!) decision our team will make based on a multitude of variables (fragility, complexity, ingredients, shelf-life, processes, to name a few).

After submission, you will be notified by December 4th if your recipe will be making an appearance in this year’s box!

Pre-ordering a box: From our recipe submitters to our cookie eaters, anyone is welcome to pre-order a cookie swap box! Pre-orders for our cookie swap boxes will be available on our online store starting today up until December 11th. Once your box has been pre-ordered, you can either schedule to pick-up or have your cookie swap box delivered (within the US). Boxes will be available for pick-up on the hill on December 18th.

What you will receive: Each festive box will include 12 unique, distinct cookies safely baked in our commercial kitchen space and carefully packaged. Each cookie will come with a story and recipe card so that you can both make the cookies at home throughout each holiday season and learn a bit more about why that recipe is so treasured by someone else.

Dayton T-Shirt Sales Help Benefit Local Nonprofits

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Matt Freeman has been part of the Dayton scene for a couple of decades.  I first ran into him back in the old Asylum night club days.  Over the years we’ve stayed in touch, working together on events and fundraisers like the Art Salvo  show he put together with Clash Dayton for the AIDS Resource Center (now Equitas).
We talked recently and I asked him what he’s been up to.  Freeman says “I try to live my creative side of life balanced between music, design, and events so at one time or another hopefully we have met along those lines. Music has played a huge part of my life. I’ve been involved one way or another with recurring events, one-offs, club residencies, and a small amount of music production. I’ve been blessed with opportunities throughout the years to be direct support for DJs and bands such as Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Josh Wink, DJ Sneak, KMFDM, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.” He mentioned that “this year has been quite challenging due to the pandemic so I’ve used the downtime to work on music production.”
A few years ago he launched a business creating Dayton t-shirts and more.  He told me “Daytonians love to rep this city. In 2013 I created my first Dayton centric shirt and that did well. I have since added a new design or a new product every few months to the continuously growing lineup. Currently I offer T-shirts, stickers, enamel pins and reusable totes online at  Freeman Design Company.”
 “The Miami Valley does a great job supporting Freeman Design Company. This year has been rough for a LOT of businesses. I wanted to use my platform to help a few local organizations as much as possible. Instead of just discounting the store this Holiday Season, I wanted to pay that money forward to those in need.” And so this holiday promotion was born:
Here’s How it works:

Between November 27 – December 25, 2020 we can all give a little to make a BIG difference.

To participate follow these easy steps:

1. Spend $20
2. At checkout enter code  BRUNNER, FLOC,  GRACE or LGBT
3. Freeman Design Company will make a $5 donation to that organization
About the charity beneficiaries:
BRUNNER = Brunner Literacy Center –  provides free, one-on-one tutoring to adults who want to improve their reading, writing, and math literacy skills
FLOC = For Love Of Children– serves children in the greater Dayton area who are neglected, abused, in foster care or who are in need of community resource.
GRACE = With God’s Grace Food Pantry – helps feed families in need
LGBT = The Greater Dayton LGBT Center – enhance lives and empower members of the diverse sexual and gender communities throughout the Miami Valley

Co-op Downtown Restaurant Delivery Service Now Available

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Our local restaurants have been struggling during the pandemic and as many of you may have read, traditional meal delivery services like Door Dash and Uber Eats charge these businesses up to 30%  of the order in handling and delivery fees.

So Co-Op Dayton, Flyer Consulting and local downtown eateries have banded together to launch a delivery service co-op that will be owned by the restaurants as well as the employees that will deliver the meals.

Starting small, the delivery zone for 937 Delivers is currently within five miles of downtown and here’s the line up of the restaurants that are participating:

The Dublin Pub, Lily’s Dayton, The Pizza Bandit, Butter Cafe, Franco’s Ristorante Italiano, Trolley Stop, Uno Pizzeria & Grill, Ghostlight Coffee, Fantasma taco, Phebe’s Cafe’, Oregon Express Bar and Restaurant, Smokin Barbecue

To order head to their website, then pick a restaurant, check out their menu and place your order online.

Delivery hours will be:

Mon – Thurs: 11am – 9pm
Friday: 11am -10pm
Saturday: 10am – 10pm
Sunday: 10am – 9pm

To stay update as they add restaurants or expand delivery area, join their mailing list.

 

Agave & Rye Now Open In Troy

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In a spot that was served up Italian eats for 25 years on the square in Troy, now opens it’s serve up “epic tacos and tequila” as  Agave & Rye.  Offering a chef-inspired take on the standard taco, this will be the sixth  location for this chain. Offering 20 different taco options, 7 different chip and dip combinations, 90 tequilas and over 80 bourbons, they pride themselves on Epic experiences.

 

Open seven days a week at 11am, tacos are prepared from scratch, using fresh produce and protein to create a mix of hot meats and cool toppings. Their menu offers options for Gluten Free, Vegetarian and Vegan palettes, and even has a section of the menu feature “NOT A TACO” options that include a burger, salad, enchiladas, and turkey lo mein. But there’s no doubt that tacos are the star, as you can see from this section of the menu:

Happy hour is offered Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with $2 off all epic tacos, $3 chips and queso, $2 domestic beer in cans, $6 bourbon peach punch and $6 Margaritas. Taco Tuesday is celebrated all day with $2-4 tacos, and the same drink features as their happy hour.  Whiskey Wednesday offers $2 off all whiskey and bourbon pours.  If you make it to dessert, they offer carrot cake and chocolate cake in portions they advertise as large enough for two.

2 N Market St., Troy, OH 45373

 

MON – SAT
11am-11pm

SUN
11am-10pm

(937) 741-TACO

 

Mendelson’s Going Out of Business 90% Off Sale

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Mendelson’s Liquidation Outlet, ‘The First Place to Look for Every Last Thing!’ is calling it quits after 55 years in business in downtown Dayton. It’s Sandy’s Biggest Black Friday Blowout & Beyond Sale! ever. It all begins Friday, November 27th, Saturday, November 28th, and beyond until it’s all gone down to the bare walls. Mendelson’s hours are 8:30am to 5pm Monday through Saturday.

All first-floor merchandise 90% off. *Certain exceptions apply*

Store fixtures at reduced prices. It’s got to go, and you benefit big time.

“We have to be out of the building at 340 East First Street in 30 days. So, now’s the time. Prices will never be this low. Dishes, housewares, tables, chairs, desks, pallet racking, storage containers. You must see it to believe it,” ´Owner Sandy Mendelson said.: This is some of the lowest prices every in our history.” He adds.

Mendelson’s is packed with antique, historical, mechanical, clothing, retro items, housewares, DIY projects, t-shirts, sweatshirts, bike helmets, knee pads, baseball pants, plywood and much more. Plus, see something you love well, see Sandy for deal.

“Look, we believed in downtown when very few did. And now we see the results. It’s time to hang up my cap and move on to our next venture.” He said

“Dayton has been good to us and we’ve given back tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise to charities, people in need, church groups, and various organizations. We believe in sharing our blessings with the city and region we love.” Sandy said. www.meci.com

Blues and Roots Rock Extravaganza

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Featuring the following artists and many more with great musical surprises in store!

-Fred Gillespie and the Swamp Bees, with special guests Ashley Baumgarten and Chuck Evans present a lively, take-no-prisoners mix of powerful musicianship, strong original material, blues, R&B and classic rock in a tight three-piece format featuring blazing lead guitar and strong vocals.

-Jimmy D. Rogers, a long-time regional favorite, Jimmy is known for his keyboard mastery and extraordinary songwriting. Jimmy specializes in old-time boogie piano, and puts on a lively, engaging performance every time he takes a stage!

-Sister Salem, featuring James Clark and Ferris Gillespie, is an up-and-coming new band which has quickly become a fan favorite in Middletown and the surrounding area. Featuring the sultry vocals of Gabrielle Anais Sears, the smooth vocals of James Clark, and the stellar guitar playing tandem of Ferris Gillespie and James Clark, this band presents an eclectic and entertaining mix of rock, blues, and Americana.

Find Your Holiday Spirit in These Light Displays

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Family gatherings are shrinking for the holidays this year, and seasonal events are shifting to new formats because of the coronavirus pandemic. But you can still find your holiday cheer sprinkled across the region with these holiday light displays:

 

ParkLights at Caesar Ford Park

520 S Stringtown Rd, Xenia, OH 45385

FREE event and runs the entire month of December from 6 – 9 pm.

Caesar Ford Park will be transformed into a winter wonderland with over 110 LED light displays covering a mile long driving path. This year’s event allows you to get into the holiday spirit, right from the safety of your own car! Enjoy everything from Santa’s rock band to the woodland creatures area to the North Pole amusement park and more. Tune your radio station to 106.5 FM for some festive holiday music as you make your way through this holiday event.

Holiday In Lights

Sharon Woods 11355 Swing Rd, Sharonville

6 PM-9 PM Sunday-Thursday       5:30 PM-10 PM Friday & Saturday.    $15 carload
Charming light show is built over a mile of wooded roadway, the only drive-through light show through the woods of a beautiful Hamilton County park! The holiday-themed displays showcase everything from Santa Claus and his elves, to every animal on the ark.

Holiday Lights

Lost Creek Reserve 2385 East State Route 41, Troy

Be transported into a winter wonderland filled with over 50 animated light displays.The 1.25-mile driving tour takes you through the woods, down charming farm lanes and past the historic Knoop Homestead aglow with lights.
$10/car load Cash only

Land of Illusion Christmas Glow

8762 Thomas Rd, Middletown

Open 6pm to 10pm through Dec 30th    $7
Closed November 30th, December 1st, December 2nd and Christmas Day

Celebrate the season at The Christmas Glow, over 3.8 million lights at the 2-mile long Christmas Around the World drive-thru experience, visit Santa at the Christmas Village Santa Workshop or just take in the majestic lights of the 45-foot Christmas Tree as you and yours warm by the gas fire pits.

 

Light Up Middletown

Smith Park Tytus Avenue just off Verity Parkway – SR4, Middletown

Open Every Night Thanksgiving Through New Year’s Eve  6:00 PM – 10: 00 PM – Open in all weather & Holidays

Admission by cash donation – you set the price!

The Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill

75 Water St, Clifton, OH 45316

Gates open every day at 5 pm, lights come on at 6 pm. Gates close at 9 pm; lights go off 30 minutes after gates close.
$10, Children 3 and under get in Free!

This  light display is one of the country’s finest with over 3.5 million lights illuminating the mill, the gorge, the riverbanks, trees, and bridges. There is even a 100-foot “waterfall” of twinkling lights. The flip of one switch turns all the lights on at once transforming night into a fantastical winter wonderland

Whispering Christmas

Fort Saint Clair Park 135 Camden Road, Eaton

6-10pm nightly. FREE

There is so much to see and enjoy at Whispering Christmas!  2020 marks our 34th Season of Whispering Christmas, featuring a spectacular drive-thru lights display with close to 2 million lights!

A little further away:

 

Coney Island Christmas Nights of Lights

6201 Kellogg Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45230   (513) 232-8230

Dusk until 10pm  through Jan. 9, 2021.

Experience this amazing light show synchronized to both traditional and rocking holiday music through your car radio. Visitors of all ages will be awed by the larger-than-life trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes and fantastic tunnels of lights!  In the warmth of your own car, you can sing along to the sounds of the season synchronized to each holiday display.

With two and a half miles to drive through, your family can see displays and light shows made of over a million lights driven by more than forty thousand computer channel

 General admission for Christmas Nights of Lights is $7 per person (children 3 and under free). Tickets can be purchased at the gate upon arrival. Ticket is valid for one person on day of visit through January 9, 2021.

Journey Borealis

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Road, Hamilton, OH.

Hours are 6-9 pm Monday-Thursday and 6-10 pm Friday-Sunday through Jan. 3.

This is not only an incredible lights display, it’s also in an amazing, one-of-a-kind park. Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum is an outdoor gallery on a monumental scale. Holiday Lights on the Hill is two miles of dazzling lights displays at one of Cincinnati’s most beautiful locations.

Monday-Thursday $20; Friday-Sunday $25 (Per carload). Members $15 everyday.

This drive-thru holiday light experience is back again.

Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights

311 South Old State Rd, Delaware, OH 43015

Open through New Year’s Day, 7 days a week from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This drive-thru holiday light experience will cover Alum Creek State Park with LED lights.

Sunday-Thursday 5:30pm – 9:30pm (ticket booths close at 9:00pm)
Friday and Saturday 5:30pm – 9:30pm (ticket booths close at 9:00pm)
Until further notice, in accordance with the State of Ohio’s Health Order Curfew;
Any vehicle in line at 9pm will still be able to purchase tickets & enjoy the show

Cars will cost $20 Monday through Thursday, and $30 Friday through Sunday. For pricing of larger vehicles, please click here.

The Rubi Girls present “The Show Must Go On” virtually

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The Rubi Girls in the “Show Must Go On 2020” at The Brightside

Every nonprofit has had to pivot their fundraisers to online events, and The Rubi Girls are no exception. The group has awarded millions to a variety of local charities, and they’re determined to keep giving, especially now, when the need is greatest.

The Rubi Girl’s annual Thanksgiving production “The Show Must Go On” will be presented online on Saturday November 28th at 7:30pm and will also be accessible anytime after it starts.

The Rubi Girls were formed over 35 years ago, when a small group of friends started putting on drag shows for their own amusement. They later became a 501c3 dedicated to helping others. They’ve truly shown that giving to others can be outrageously fun and rewarding!

The tickets to the virtual performance and fundraiser are $25, which comes with your own copy of the 2021 Rubi Girls calendar. Calendars can be shipped anywhere in the US or picked up at the Rubi Girls Clubhouse on Friday November 27th from 11-2pm or Saturday November 28th from 11-2pm.

TO BUY TICKETS: https://www.therubigirls.com/shop

 

Miguel’s Tacos Open Friday!

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Miguel’s Taco Truck has been in a familiar fixture around Yellow Springs for the last few years.  It debuted at the 2016 Street Fair and is often parked by the Yellow Springs Brewery or in Kings Yards. When you see that truck you can count on getting some freshly made taco’s or nacho’s. Miguel Espinosa prides himself  on using nothing from a can and hand making his sauces daily. A  few weeks ago Espinosa, announced on his facebook page that the truck was being put to rest so final preparations could be made to open the bricks and mortar version.

The new location for Miguel’s Tacos is at 101 Corry St in Yellow Springs.  Miguel says that the eatery will be open this Friday, November 27th and daily thereafter from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm.

Miguel, who was born in Mexico and moved to New York at 15. His father was a chef in a Mexican restaurant and Miguel started cooking as well.  He worked in a pizza place and when he felt he’s learned all he could there he moved on to a French restaurant and then an Asian restaurant.  Along the way he also bartended as some fancy places in NYC. After New York he found his way to a sushi restaurant in Tampa, Florida.  Several businesses later Espinosa, his wife and their 3 children moved to his wife’s hometown of Yellow Springs, when Dawn was hired as a development director for Yellow Spring schools.

It was after that that Miguel felt the need to cook for others again, and hence the food truck. Meals you can look forward to at the restaurant are pictured below:

Quesadillas with warm flour tortilla, your choice of meat, Chihuahua cheese, shaved lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guac on the side!

Fish Tacos

David Fincher’s Award Hopeful MANK & More NEON News!

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We’re moving along with the highly anticipated film – MANK – David Fincher’s look at how Mankiewicz rushed to finish the screenplay for Orson Welles’ CITIZEN KANE. It opens tomorrow. If you still need to see THE CLIMB, Thursday will be your last chance. On Friday, we open the documentary ZAPPA for one week only. If you still need to see HILLBILLY ELEGY on the big screen, it will stick around for one more week.

In our Virtual Cinema, we have a new documentary that seems “right on time” about a social movement from the 60’s – WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. It also opens tomorrow.
NEW IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT
Synopsis for MANK: “David Fincher’s latest masterpiece is slated for THE NEON for Thanksgiving Weekend! “1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of CITIZEN KANE for Orson Welles.” Starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, and Lily Collins….you’ll be seeing some of these names during Oscar season! Click the image below to watch the film’s vintage-looking trailer.
Synopsis for ZAPPA: “With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.” (Magnolia Pictures) Click the image below to watch the trailer.
NEW IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: Available starting Nov. 25! “WBCN AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION follows a compelling cast of characters as their lives connect and intersect during the rise of the legendary radio station that became both a player in and a platform for the explosive rock ‘n roll counterculture, passionate anti-war movement, and burgeoning civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights movements. The dramatic and compelling stories in WBCN and The American Revolution are interwoven with the original sights and sounds of the critical events of the late 1960s and early 1970s, thanks to more than 100,000 audio and visual items, many of which were donated to the project by members of the WBCN community and the station’s many listeners and fans. The material includes never before exhibited film shot by Andy Warhol and cinema vérité pioneer Ricky Leacock, images from notable photographers including the late Peter Simon, brother of singer Carly Simon, and Jeff Albertson, as well as aircheck audio from memorable on-air, in-studio moments.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit the film’s Help Page HERE. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
CONTINUING IN OUR VIRTUAL CINEMA
Synopsis for MONSOON: Available Now! “Kit (Henry Golding from CRAZY RICH ASIANS) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device or via your Roku or AppleTV. For additional information regarding accessibility of the film, please visit this Eventive HELP page. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
Synopsis for MODERN PERSUASION: Now Available! We’re delighted to bring this romantic comedy with a stellar cast (they had us at Bebe Neuwirth and Jenn Harris) and directed by Jonathan Lisecki and Alex Appel to our Virtual Cinema. Lisecki was a special guest several years ago with his hit comedy GAYBY. “A modern telling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION. Wren Cosgrove is a happy, single, and self-confessed workaholic who, after rising to the top of the corporate ladder, finds herself coming home every night to her cat. When her firm is hired by Owen Jasper, “the man who got away,” long-lost feelings are stirred, giving Wren a second chance at true love.” This film can be watched on your computer or mobile device as well as via Chromecast or via an HDMI cable attached to your television. For additional notes regarding connectivity, you can visit Samuel Goldwyn’s Help page HERE. Click the image below to watch the trailer and purchase 72 hour access to this film for $12.
To read more about all the films that are still available in our Virtual Cinema, please visit our WEBSITE. We’ll continue to offer crowd-pleasing films like CHUCK LEAVELL: THE TREE MAN, RADIUM GIRLS and THE DONUT KING through Thanksgiving. Here’s a LINK with a video I made about how Virtual Cinema works.
Wanna know what titles we’re planning in our virtual cinema? (Click any title to watch that film’s trailer.) On Dec. 4, we’ll open two new films – the first is ENDING DISEASE – a documentary that looks at advancements in stem cell therapies and curing the incurable. One subject of the film is Ryan Custer, a former Wright State basketball player who suffered a neck injury. The second film on Dec. 4 is ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark’s highest grossing film in several years and it stars Mads Mikkelsen. On Dec. 9, we’ll open a documentary about the very first days of the COVID outbreak – 76 DAYS (there’s no trailer yet for 76 DAYS, but here’s a CLIP). On December 11, we’re planning to offer a WONG KAR WAI RETROSPECTIVE – full of remastered gems including a personal all-time favorite – IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. Also on December 11, we’re glad that we can finally bring THE LIBRARY THAT DOLLY BUILT – a film we had planned to play in April before global shutdowns. More titles are on the way…stay tuned!
Though dates continue to move around, I’m delighted that we are now able to bring a new documentary about Billie Holiday starting next Friday. Stay tuned for more details about BILLIE.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful, safe and warm Thanksgiving.
My best,
Jonathan

Restaurants Going Into Hibernation

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Ok As the temperature drops, a new trend is emerging in the Miami Valley’s struggling restaurant scene: shutting down completely for the coming winter and reopening in the spring, when a vaccine may be out.

Several restaurants around the city have closed their dining rooms- just offering carry out, others have closed their  doors to hunker down through the coldest months of the year until there is a better handle on Covid 19 infections. For many, they say it is their best chance of reopening in 2021.

 

Basil’s On Market – Dayton, OH

The Downtown location is now closed. We look forward to serving you delicious dishes at our Dayton location in Spring 2021! Please continue to order your Basil’s favorites from our Beavercreek location for Pick Up or  Delivery.

Culp’s Cafe

Dayton History officials announced that Culp’s Café on the grounds of Carillon Historical Park in Dayton also will close until spring.

Meadowlark Restaurant

will be closed until Tuesday, December 1st. When we re-open, we will be doing carryout ONLY during our regular hours for lunch and dinner, and will keep the dining room closed at least until the Montgomery County Stay-At-Home Advisory ends. That date at this point is December 17. Please stay tuned for further information.

St. Anne the Tart

On the heels of the stay-home advisory and real-time updates from doctors that multiple floors of our hospitals are now filled with COVID patients, we’ve decided to close our brick-and-mortar (dine-in and carry-out) starting now through the rest of 2020. Our hope and expectation is to reevaluate the climate and circumstances as facts change and to reopen dine-in once again in January 2021.

But, please know, we are 𝗡𝗢𝗧 closing St. Anne the Tart.  We’ll sell lots of take-and-bake and holiday swag for gift giving (Shopify link is above ☝️ and will be added to often! ). We’ll rent out the greenhouse for date nights and then deep clean like crazy for the next one. We’ll be taking custom orders as always! We will be opening for pre-scheduled shopping trips to our The Tart at Home pop-up shop. We will still make birthday cakes and celebratory desserts. And we may even have a few surprises up our sleeves…

 

Wheat Penny Oven and Bar

We have made the tough decision to close the in door dining room for the time being, until further notice. We will continue to have the HEATED PATIO dining area open along with our pop up patio for seating (as weather permits on the pop up patio)
We will also continue to offer carry out with curbside pickup as well as delivery. Please stay safe. And thank you, thank you, thank you for continuing to support us through carry out if our patio seating is full. Your support sustains us and warms our hearts 💕!

Such A Night: The Last Waltz with the Dayton Philharmonic

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It was such a night! In 2018, nearly 30 local musicians gathered on stage to recreate the historic performances of The Band’s The Last Waltz and celebrate the original concert, which took place November 25, 1976. That year they were joined by the Dayton Philharmonic orchestra under the conduction of Neal Gittleman.

Although we can’t safely hold this year’s in person concerts for Such A Night: The Last Waltz Live in Dayton, we can relive our 2018 performance on the radio.

Dayton at Work and Play: St. Paul United Methodist Church of Dayton Pantry

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Two of my neighbors volunteer each week at the pantry at St. Paul United Methodist Church of Dayton in the Huffman Historic District. Since this is Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, I thought I’d tag along and take some photos.

The pantry is in the church basement. After I helped this customer get her food up the stairs, she posed for me and told me about the pantry.


“I used to walk into the pantry and “shop” for my own food. Now, because of Covid, I stand in the doorway and call for Cora. Then she brings bags of food for me. The first time you come you need to bring an ID and proof of address, because this pantry is only for people who live in the 45403 zip code. I guess the Food Bank has other pantries that are for other zip codes.”

“The amount of food you get is according to the size of your family. Our family is three people – me and my husband and our son. We get 6 cans of vegetables, 4 cans of fruit, 3 cans of meat, a box of cereal, a loaf of bread and some other things. I can come here once a month. It’s been a big help.”

Former U.S. Congressman and Ambassador, Named Dayton Peace Prize recipient for 2020.

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The Dayton Peace Accords 25th Anniversary Committee has selected Dayton native and former U.S. Congressman and Ambassador, Tony Hall  as the Dayton Peace Prize recipient for 2020.

The Dayton Peace Prize was established in 1999 to recognize individuals who, through individual or organizational actions and deeds, impact humanity in a positive way by advocating for peace, health, hunger, or other humanitarian objectives. 

November 21st is the 25th anniversary to-the-day of the initialing of the Dayton Peace Accord in the Hope Hotel ballroom at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  The 1995 negotiations were conducted by the U.S. Department of State and hosted by Wright Patterson Air Force Base from October 31st until the initialing on November 21st, ending hostilities that had ravaged the Bosnian region with the loss of an estimated 100,000 lives.

Ambassador Hall will be one of only six people to be awarded the prize since the community led anniversary committee was founded in 1996.  Ambassador Hall joins this distinguished group which includes President Bill Clinton, the late Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Hit ‘play’ to hear Ambassador Hall’s thoughts on this honor:

 

Ambassador Hall was our Congressman representing Dayton at the time of the Dayton Peace Accord. When asked about his connection to the Peace Accords he mentioned that he wasn’t directly involved.  But at that time, many of the people in Sarajevo were starving and each time a food convoy would try to deliver food, the drivers were being shot down. Hall arranged a meeting with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić  (who was later convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia)  to discuss humanitarian issues and was able to negotiate a one day opening to  guarantee the safety of aid convoys using a supply route between Serb-controlled Kiseljak and the Bosnian capital Sarajevo.

In talking about the Peace Prize Hall shared “it’s a wonderful award, Dayton is not a big city, but this is a big award.  When he travels the world and mentions he’s from Dayton, people know The Dayton Peace Accord and the city that helped negotiate peace over war. This is a great award and I am totally wowed to receive it.”

Hall was chairman of a Hunger Over Seas committee in Congress and in 1984 he went on a trip abroad.  He witnessed 24 children starving to death in Ethiopia. That experience changed his life.  Since then, he has become one of the world’s leading advocates for ending hunger and improving human rights in America and around the world.

While in Congress, Ambassador Tony Hall fasted for 22 days to call attention to hunger, leading the World Bank to invest $100 million towards reducing hunger. After Congress, he was appointed United Nation’s Ambassador for Food and Agriculture. He has personally worked with those experiencing hunger in more than 100 countries, learning from Mother Teresa in Calcutta, “to go back home and to do the thing that is in front of you and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same.” Hall says “there are 48 million people in America that are hungry, women, children, senior citizens. We need to help them.”

And help he has.  In 2015 he founded the Hall Hunger Initiative (HHI) to bring solutions to food deserts and local hunger challenges. Hall says he’s often the connector between initiatives and fundraising. He’s worked with projects like the House of Bread and Miami Valley Meals.   HHI’s largest support project is also the community’s most significant food access effort, Gem City Market. Hall served as the chair of fundraising, with a goal to raise $4.2 million.  Currently they’ve raised over $5 million.  His goal is to make Dayton hunger free- a place where nobody will ever go to bed hungry again.

Ambassador Hall has been nominated 3 times for a Nobel Peace Prize, first by the US Congress, then by the South Korean  Congress and the Prime Minister of Japan.  He continues to work for the poor, the hungry and the underprivileged.