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

Archives for December 2024

Why We Toast With Champagne!

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As the clocks chime midnight on December 31 and a brand new year is ushered in, the familiar soundtrack of fireworks, people cheering, and champagne corks popping will echo across the globe. Many of us will instinctively look for a bottle or two of celebratory fizz when buying wine for a holiday party; in fact, it’s been estimated that a quarter of all champagne bottles sold in America are bought between Christmas and New Year’s, with more than 360 million glasses of champagne and sparkling wine enjoyed in the U.S. each and every New Year’s Eve.


But, why do we choose this particular drink to mark one of the biggest dates in the calendar? While drinking champagne has a long and lavish history dating back centuries, it hasn’t always been an option for the majority of people. The sparkling beverage was once associated solely with royal courts and European aristocracy since royalty and nobility were the only ones who once could afford it.

Things began to change after the French Revolution and the huge societal changes that period brought about; back then, champagne quickly gained traction as a desirable way to celebrate special occasions. And, over subsequent years, that signature pop of the cork before pouring the fizzy, lively liquid would become synonymous with one of the biggest communal celebrations of all: New Year’s Eve.

Things began to change in the 1800s

By 1800, the act of staying up until midnight to ring in the new year had become more popular, a tradition which European settlers had brought to America. People began to frequent taverns, as well as visiting others’ houses, for fun-filled midnight drinks, which included punch as well as champagne.

As secular rituals began to replace religious ones following the French Revolution, champagne became more widespread as part of a variety of celebrations. One use was to ‘christen’ a ship, for example, before its maiden voyage. Soon, champagne was about to see a sudden huge surge in popularity and availability as prices dropped and sales boomed from six million bottles in 1850 to a whopping 28 million by 1900 as producers began to market the drink for special occasions.

By the end of the 19th century, champagne was widespread at New Year’s Eve parties. While still associated with luxury, it was more affordable for the middle classes as an occasional treat — and what better way to welcome in a fresh start than with an overflowing glass of aspirational bubbles? Today, champagne is still seen as an occasional celebratory drink by most, with New Year’s Eve proving one of the most popular times to indulge. And with a range of cheaper alternatives these days, from cava to prosecco, there’s even more reason to pop a cork this New Year’s Eve. Cheers to that.

 

New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet

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The Dublin Pub’s iconic brunch buffet is back for this day only!! 11am-2pm New Years Day January 1st,  come and get our
Carving station with prime rib (while supplies last), build your own omelet & hash brown bar, eggs, bacon, pork, sauerkraut, salad, and various other breakfast & lunch items
Also featuring our Bloody Mary bar! Mimosas on deck too 🥂
Slainte to the New Year!!!

Dayton at Work and Play: Kate Huser Santucci

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For the last month Monday has been Buy Local day, where I’ve posted a brief conversation with someone selling goods or services in the Miami Valley.
This week my Buy Local conversation is with Kate Huser Santucci who is about to have her first exhibition of 2025. Kate uses as many as 30 layers of encaustic material on her pieces. That gives her work a sense of depth that draws viewers into the artwork.
Kate tells me she took up encaustic work just over 10 years ago. She was drawn to the ethereal feel of some encaustic work and the versatility of the medium. “You can be sculptural or really painterly, you can scratch parts off or draw lines on and do all kinds of other things” she told me.
“This exhibition is called Water Rising. I first started working on these pieces thinking about water and climate change but as time passed I realized these pieces meant other things to me on a personal level. They refer to trying to keep your head above water, trying to keep afloat. They’re about adapting to the added stressors of this time.”
“The show will be in the Dutoit Gallery (Front Street Warehouse, 1001 E 2nd St, Building 100, Door BC, Floor 3) all January. The opening is on First Friday, January 3 from 5 to 9 and after that the gallery is open every Saturday 12 to 4.”

Opening Day Twin Creek Disc Golf Course

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Take on this classic course in a format you’ll be sure to love! ♥️ 3 Rounds of the Original 12 Holes (Red Layout).
As Dayton Disc Golf & Carl Chiles have always done – a portion of the proceeds will go to a Germantown local food bank!
❓ Are YOU ready to endure the elements of January in Ohio – who said there’s an off-season?
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
10:30am REGISTRATION CLOSES
10:45am PLAYERS MEETING
11:00am
– 1:00pm		 SHOTGUN START – ROUND 1 & 2 BEGIN (Back to back)

(Note: Tee off at 11, if someone doesn’t show and you have less than 3 players on the card one player will move up and one will move back to another hole.
1:00pm
– 2:00pm		 ESTIMATED TIME FOR INTERMISSION (Subject to Change)
2:00pm ESTIMATED START ROUND 3 (Subject to Change)

Scramble by Cafe 19 to Close

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Dillon Allen, his girlfriend, Elizabeth Brunotte, and brother, John Allen opened this Brookville breakfast spot on May 31st.  Located at 302 Market Street, after having success with their coffee shops in Englewood  and  West Milton. The coffee shops had been successful and they  wanted to offer a full service eatery.
In mid-December they posted a rally call, asking for support on their Scramble by Cafe 19 Facebook Page:
” With food costs increasing this year quicker than we can adjust for, sales declining and weekend sales dropping off were in threat of closing our doors. I’m not too proud to say we need help and we’re coming to you for that.”
They had a solid response to they outcry, but in reality, it just wasn’t enough.
Today Dillon  posted this:
“Over the last couple weeks, we’ve been discussing the viability of what we set out to make with our scramble location.
Last week I was in a panic because of how bad our finances were with trying to fix this building.
What it came down to was we don’t have the capital, resources or traffic to pull off what needs to be done to fix all these issues. Rising food costs and slimmer margins have not helped either. Our costs of goods have gone up substantially this year and it makes it even harder to figure out another way to pull it off.
Our landlord has been so gracious to us, helping where he can, and this community has been so wonderful to us but it’s just not sustainable.
Our last day of operation at our Brookville location will be Saturday January 4th. Our Englewood and West Milton locations will remain open and any unused gift cards can be used at any of our other locations.
We hate to become another statistic of this location and I did everything in my power to not let it happen, we just don’t have the resources to continue on without taking everything down in the process.
Thank you all for the memories that scramble has made, the friends that we’ve made along the way and I hope to see you again!“

Best Wine Pairings for Popular Christmas Cookies

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The Best Wine Pairings for 10 Popular Christmas Cookies,
According to Sommeliers

“The holidays are a wonderful time to socialize with family and friends, and you’d be surprised just how well wine can pair with cookies and dessert,” explains Anthony Bilwin, general manager and sommelier at von Stiehl Winery, Cidery, and Distillery in Algoma, Wisconsin.

Close up view of million dollar sugar cookies getting frosted
Jake Sternquist

Sugar Cookies

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Chardonnay

Bust out that oak-aged Chardonnay. The wine’s subtle sweetness and buttery roundness will play nicely with the sugar, butter, and vanilla that take center stage in these classic Christmas cookies, Popescu says. Aging a wine in oak imparts a hint of vanilla flavor, which only makes this pairing even better.

Although you might think of Chardonnay more typically as a partner for pasta or seafood, the popular white wine will complement the simple, nostalgic flavors and tender texture of the sugar cookies, Kakalios and Bilwin agree. Sommeliers often suggest Chardonnay with nutty dishes, so if your sugar cookie recipe or its icing happens to be spiked with almond extract (like our Christmas Sugar Cookie Cutouts), you’ll unwrap an extra level of deliciousness.

Gingerbread Cutouts
Emily VanSchmus

Gingerbread

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Moscatel

With punchy flavors like molasses, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, gingerbread isn’t shy. To make each bite of the powerful cookie really shine, enjoy your Gingerbread Cutout with a glass of wine made with Muscat  grapes (which also happens to be one of our top Thanksgiving wine picks).

“Muscat-based wines often evoke a gentle, candied ginger flavor, making for a fun and complementary match for the spicy warmth of gingerbread,” Popescu says.

Moscatel is one of many types of Muscat wines. The dessert wine is floral, sweet, and tastes even more like butterscotch, figs, or raisins the longer it ages. Most Moscatels offer some orange essence, which is a delight with gingerbread’s spice.

Thumbprint cookies with cherry filling
Grant Webster

Thumbprint or Linzer Cookies

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Sparkling Rosé

When it comes time to consider the best wine pairing for fruit jam/jelly-preserve-stuffed goodies like Linzer or Thumbprint Cookies, let the spread take the lead.

“With fresh red fruit notes, a young, semi-sweet sparkling rosé sets off the fruit preserves in thumbprint or Linzer cookies while adding a touch of brightness to each bite,” Popescu explains.

The effervescence of a semi-sweet, often labeled as “demi-sec,” sparkling rosé acts as a nice counterpart to cut through the richness of the buttery cookie dough base.

chocolate chip cookies
BHG / Cara Cormack

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon

Although they’re just as appropriate for bake sales and summer potlucks as they are for the winter holidays, we can’t go through a Christmas season without at least one batch of CCCs.

Remember our dark with dark scheme? That’s the focus here, thanks to the bittersweet and bold dark chocolate chips that are the hero ingredient in every chocolate chip cookie recipe.

While other fruit-forward red wines would also work, Bilwin believes that “not much is better than a piece of dark chocolate and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by the fire, but this pairing comes close! Dark chocolate chips with the buttery flavor of the cookie help to highlight the fruit and nutty flavors in the Cabernet, adding a little vanilla undertone as well.”

Squares of millionaire shortbread on plate
Jacob Fox

Shortbread Cookies

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Moscato d’Asti

Ted Lasso’s signature cookie recipe is a lesson in editing and execution. Flour, sugar, and a lot of shortening or butter are all that’s required to make the most traditional shortbread. From there, vanilla extract and salt often join the party. While buttery shortbread is a treat as-is, come holiday season, we like to spiff things up with bonus ingredients like almond butter, maraschino cherries, and dried cranberries.

Whatever shortbread variation you bake up, Kakalios is keen on another Muscat-based wine: Moscato d’Asti. This low-alcohol, sweet, and bubbly vino is an elegant pairing that won’t overpower shortbread’s delicate flavors.

Plus, “shortbread’s high fat content begs for a light and slightly effervescent sweet foil, with understated flavors that permit the subtle tones of the cookie to shine,”  Kakalios says.

Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Carson Downing

Peanut Butter Cookies or Peanut Butter Blossoms

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Merlot

Peanut butter and jelly is another dynamic and delicious duo that’s gratifying for kids and adults alike, and a similar approach is what we’re taking here: peanut butter and fruit.

For classic criss-cross-topped Peanut Butter Cookies or Kiss-crowned Peanut Butter Blossoms, Bilwin says your best bet is a popular red wine: Merlot. A full-bodied red with silky tannins “will pair perfectly with chocolate and help wash down the peanut butter,” according to Marcy. And with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate, “Merlot offers incredible fruity qualities, reminiscent of peanut butter and jelly with chocolate,” Bilwin says.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Karla Conrad

Chocolate Truffles or Buckeyes

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Tempranillo

There’s nothing bashful about Triple-Chocolate Truffles, Peanut Butter Truffles, and Buckeyes. (In case you are unfamiliar, the latter is Ohio’s signature chocolate candy recipe that’s essentially a ball of peanut butter fudge partially dipped in melted chocolate.)

So once again, you’re going to want to go dark and open up a bottle of Tempranillo, a medium- to full-bodied red wine from Spain.

“The deep, dark fruit flavors of a Tempranillo, combined with its easy-drinking character make it a perfect match for the intensity of chocolate truffles or Buckeyes,” Popescu says. (Lucky enough to have extra? Transform it into a Tinto de Verano to enjoy later in the evening or week!)

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Coconut Macaroons

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Sauternes

They look like snowballs and taste like a tropical vacation, so Coconut Macaroons are always a welcome addition to our dessert boards come holiday season.

That being said, the forceful coconut essence can make for a challenging pairing. Popescu says the fix can be found in the dessert wine section.

“French Sauternes, a Bordeaux dessert wine known for its lush tropical fruit and warm baking spice notes beautifully accompanies the sweetness and texture of Coconut Macaroons,” Popescu says.

Fabulous Five-Minute Fudge
Peter Krumhardt

Fudge

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Port

As one of the sweetest, most dense, and richest Christmas candies, Fudge asks for a wine with a similar luxurious build. Enter: Port, a Portuguese fortified dessert wine.

Popescu, Marcy, and Kakalios agree that Port is the perfect match, since the drink’s “layered sweetness harmonizes with the rich, intense flavor of fudge, creating an indulgent experience,” Popescu tells us.

Where other wines might get lost, Port’s fairly high alcohol content (18 to 21%), silky texture, and innate sweetness, mean that it can stand up to the boldness of the fudge. Try a Tawny Port, renowned for its nutty flavors, or a Vintage Ruby Port, with chocolate, warm baking spice, and dark berry notes.

Candy Cane Bark
Peter Krumhardt

Peppermint Bark

Christmas cookie wine pairing: Shiraz

The notion of combining chocolate and mint is controversial as it is. Now when you try to pair both of those—found in Christmas candies like Candy Cane Bark—with a drink, the plot thickens.

Luckily, Marcy and Popescu have our backs with their divine drink pairing: Shiraz, an Australian or South African red wine made from Syrah grapes.

“With its ripe blackberry, mocha, and subtle smoky notes, Shiraz pairs well with Peppermint Bark, balancing the coolness of peppermint with robust fruit and spice,” Popescu explains.

Meet the experts:

This article originally appeared on the Better Homes & Gardens website.

Restaurants Offering Special New Year’s Eve Dinners

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There’s no better way to send off the past year (and count down to the new one) than by sharing a delicious meal with your  closest friends. Find some options here for restaurants serving special dinners:

elé Cake Co. Bistro & Wine Bar
3680 Rigby Rd., Austin Landing, Miamisburg
Prix Fixe Dinner featuring a four-course meal $65/person
Served from 4pm – 8pm



El Meson New Year’s Eve Menu 
903 E Dixie Dr, West Carrollton
available 4-9pm Dec 27, 28 & 31
Full menu of soups, salads, tapas and entrees to chose from.
New Year’s Eve Chef’s specials include:

Grist 5 Course Dinner
46 W. 5th Street, Dayton | (937) 802-4544
Serving from 6-10pm
$125 per person

 

Lily’s Dayton 5 Course Italian Dinner
329 East 5th Street, Oregon District | seating from 5-10:30pm, $75++

Loose Ends Brewing 3 course Dinner
890 South Main Street, Centerville | 937-723-6328
serving from 4-10pm

Couples: $99.99 with reservations | $109.99 walk-ins
Singles: $49.99 with reservations | $59.99 walk-ins

 

Meadowlark 5 Course Dinner
5531 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton | Seating from 4:45 – 8:45pm
$110 with an optional $50 wine pairing
Amuse : duck and pear dumpling
French onion soup
Three- beet salad
Lobster crepe with sauce Mornay
Main: Osso Bucco or Mushroom Lasagna or Wine & Butter Poached Grouper and shellfish or Sliced Beef Strip-Loin Bordelaise & potato pave
Cheesecake

The Melting Pot NYE Fondue & Masquerade Party
453 Miamisburg Centerville Road, Centerville

We’ll feature a special prix fixe holiday menu and we’ll have blacklight glowing drinks for purchase in our bar area.  Cheese Fondue, salad, Entree : Teriyaki-Marinated Steak, Sonoran Chicken Breast, Orange Fennel Pork Tenderloin, Brown Sugar Bourbon Rub Steak or Atlantic Salmon, Ginger & Turmeric Shrimp, Teriyaki-Marinated Steak, Sonoran Chicken Breast, Chocolate Fondue

$79.95 per person; Children (12 & Under) – $30
Make your night extra festive when you add on our masquerade pkg for $10.
$79.95
 

Meridien Uptown – 4 Course Wine Dinner
28 W. Franklin St, Centerville | 5:30 & 8:30pm seatings

Champagne Toast & lobster puffes pastry
Endive salad with champagne vinagrette
Twin filet mignons & lobster tail with potato au gratin
Special dessert
$85/person

Speakeasy Miso New Year’s Eve 5 Course Tasting Menu
101 W Main St, Troy | 7:30pm seating

$75 ticket price includes:
2 cocktails, 4 savory courses plus dessert, and a champagne toast!

SushiNero Dinner for Two
20 S 1st St, Miamisburg
Serving from    $80/couple
Includes appetizer and choice of two special chef curated entree, like seared ahi tuna, lamb shanks, sushi and more and a sparkling toast.

The Dock Food & Spirits Dinner for two
250 W Main St, Enon | Seating from 5:30-9:30pm

2 salads, 2 7oz Filets and 2 5oz Lobster tail, 2 desserts and 2 glasses of champagne.
$120.  Call for reservations:937-864-5011

NYE Buffet Silas Creative Kitchen
21 West Main St, Versailles
Adults $69, Seniors $59, children 6-12 $35, under 6 free
add open bar for $75/person
live entertainment by the Kim Kelly Orchestra

Kawanzaa Starts Tonight

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The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal.

The candle-lighting ceremony each evening provides the opportunity to gather and discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa. The first night, the black candle in the center is lit (and the principle of umoja/unity is discussed). One candle is lit each evening and the appropriate principle is discussed.

Seven Principles

The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba are a set of ideals created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle.

Unity:Umoja (oo–MO–jah)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Self-determination: Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Collective Work and Responsibility: Ujima (oo–GEE–mah)
To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Cooperative Economics: Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Purpose: Nia (nee–YAH)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Creativity: Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah)
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Faith: Imani (ee–MAH–nee)
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Seven Symbols

The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba are a set of ideals created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle.

Mazao, the crops (fruits, nuts, and vegetables)
Symbolizes work and the basis of the holiday. It represents the historical foundation for Kwanzaa, the gathering of the people that is patterned after African harvest festivals in which joy, sharing, unity, and thanksgiving are the fruits of collective planning and work. Since the family is the basic social and economic center of every civilization, the celebration bonded family members, reaffirming their commitment and responsibility to each other. In Africa the family may have included several generations of two or more nuclear families, as well as distant relatives. Ancient Africans didn’t care how large the family was, but there was only one leader – the oldest male of the strongest group. For this reason, an entire village may have been composed of one family. The family was a limb of a tribe that shared common customs, cultural traditions, and political unity and were supposedly descended from common ancestors. The tribe lived by traditions that provided continuity and identity. Tribal laws often determined the value system, laws, and customs encompassing birth, adolescence, marriage, parenthood, maturity, and death. Through personal sacrifice and hard work, the farmers sowed seeds that brought forth new plant life to feed the people and other animals of the earth. To demonstrate their mazao, celebrants of Kwanzaa place nuts, fruit, and vegetables, representing work, on the mkeka.

Mkeka: Place Mat
The mkeka, made from straw or cloth, comes directly from Africa and expresses history, culture, and tradition. It symbolizes the historical and traditional foundation for us to stand on and build our lives because today stands on our yesterdays, just as the other symbols stand on the mkeka. In 1965, James Baldwin wrote: “For history is not merely something to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the facts that we carry it within us, are consciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.” During Kwanzaa, we study, recall, and reflect on our history and the role we are to play as a legacy to the future. Ancient societies made mats from straw, the dried seams of grains, sowed and reaped collectively. The weavers took the stalks and created household baskets and mats. Today, we buy mkeka that are made from Kente cloth, African mud cloth, and other textiles from various areas of the African continent. The mishumaa saba, the vibunzi, the mazao, the zawadi, the kikombe cha umoja, and the kinara are placed directly on the mkeka.

Vibunzi: Ear of Corn
The stalk of corn represents fertility and symbolizes that through the reproduction of children, the future hopes of the family are brought to life. One ear is called vibunzi, and two or more ears are called mihindi. Each ear symbolizes a child in the family, and thus one ear is placed on the mkeka for each child in the family. If there are no children in the home, two ears are still set on the mkeka because each person is responsible for the children of the community. During Kwanzaa, we take the love and nurturance that was heaped on us as children and selflessly return it to all children, especially the helpless, homeless, loveless ones in our community. Thus, the Nigerian proverb “It takes a whole village to raise a child” is realized in this symbol (vibunzi), since raising a child in Africa was a community affair, involving the tribal village, as well as the family. Good habits of respect for self and others, discipline, positive thinking, expectations, compassion, empathy, charity, and self-direction are learned in childhood from parents, from peers, and from experiences. Children are essential to Kwanzaa, for they are the future, the seed bearers that will carry cultural values and practices into the next generation. For this reason, children were cared for communally and individually within a tribal village. The biological family was ultimately responsible for raising its own children, but every person in the village was responsible for the safety and welfare of all the children.

 

Excerpted from the book: The Complete Kwanzaa Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest. Copyright 1995 by Dorothy Winbush Riley.

NYE Ekoostik Hookah

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You’re invited to jammin’ New Year’s Eve with ekoostik hookah & Subterranean! If you’re a music lover – this is a fun way to ring in 2025!

Montgomery County Arrive Safe Program Back for the Holiday

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Free and safe rides home are available to Montgomery County residents over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

ArriveSafe is a partnership between the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office, Heidelberg Distributing Company/Budweiser and Key-Ads to provide $20 Uber vouchers to help eliminate impaired driving.

“When I first thought about ArriveSafe I never thought it would be such a well-received program,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. “We have provided over 17,500 rides home since 2007.”

ArriveSafe will be available from:

6 pm Dec. 24 through 6 am Dec. 26 for Christmas
6 pm Dec. 31 through 6 am Jan. 2 for New Year’s.

Residents can scan a QR code to access the Uber voucher.

Rocky Horror Picture Show with Dead Man’s Rocky

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 Prop bags will be $5 provided by Dead Man’s Rocky.
– No outside food or drink will be permitted.
– Ages 18+ unless accompanied by an adult.
– Dead Man’s Rocky will have other merch for sale like stickers and buttons. Buy and support!
“Dead Man’s Rocky is the Dayton areas newest year-round Rocky Horror shadowcast and has set up homebase right here at Englewood Cinema! Their show is a classic Rocky Horror performance including but not limited to a gaggle of costumed live performers, audience participation, yelling out obscenities, surprise giveaways, toilet paper, and dancing in the aisles! This show is recommended for 18+ and if you bring your kid, Englewood Cinema is not responsible for the wacky things they may witness, you’ve been warned. To learn more visit deadmansrocky.com and we’ll see you soon!”

Grounds For Hounds Fundraiser Returns For January 20255

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Grounds For Hounds, presented by Planned2Give, is a self-guided coffee tour that highlights shops throughout the Dayton region.  Buy a coupon book for $25 and you’ll receive a cup of coffee (up to a $5 value) at each of the 10 coffee shops in the month of January 2025.  You can buy your book online and it will be mailed to you or you can stop by SICSA (8172 Washington Church Rd.) to purchase a coupon book or they will also be available at Wright Dunbar Cigars  located at 1153 West 3rd Street in Dayton.

Participating Coffee Shops:

  • B-Side Coffee Bar (6178 Chambersburg Road in Huber Heights)
  • Boston Stoker (Centerville, Clayton, & Troy)
  • Curious Styles and Coffee Shop (16 S. Main St. in Miamisburg)
  • Gather By Ghostlight (37 W. Fourth St. in Dayton)
  • Ghostlight Coffee (1201 Wayne Ave.  in Dayton)
  • MidDay (800 S Patterson Blvd, Dayton)
  • Tastefully Roasted Coffee (6 Oakwood Ave. in Dayton)
  • This Guy’s Coffee (284 W Central Ave, Springboro)
  • Wholly Grounds (825 Wayne Ave. in Dayton)
  • Winans Coffee & Chocolates (5839 Far Hills Avenue in Dayton)

Planned2Give co-founder Lisa Grigsby says, “we love this opportunity to promote support local independent coffee shops and be able to donate to SICSA as well.  They are such a great community resource for our animals.  We encourage all caffeine lovers to grab a coupon book and visit all of these shops in the month of January.”

Grounds For Hounds will benefit SICSA in 2025.

Planned2Give is grateful  to our print sponsor Pet Butler.  

 

Meet Amy Beaver, owner of Butter Cafe

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Both of our daughters are here this Christmas. Whenever they are in town they take their mother out to Butter Cafe (1106 Brown Street) for breakfast or lunch. They like the gluten-free selections, which one of them needs, and they like the ambience. I mentioned that to the restaurant’s owner, Amy Beaver.


“I’m glad to hear that your daughters like the atmosphere here. We’re close to the University of Dayton, and this was once student housing. Even though we can seat 72 patrons the place has a homey feel because it’s divided into smaller spaces that used to be bedrooms or living rooms. We’ve also tried to add some things that add to the warm feeling – like the murals Tiffany Clark painted outside our windows.”


“We offer a broad selection of breakfast and lunch items including some gluten-free and vegan options. Whenever I come across an interesting new recipe I look for a way to tweak it to make it my own. I also think about whether I can do something similar that is vegan or gluten free.”
I asked how she came to open Butter Cafe.”When I was growing up Dad worked in resorts around Hilton Head. Now he and my mother have a restaurant in Michigan, so I’ve been around the food business my whole life. We have a large family and we all had to pitch in and help. Since I was 7 I’ve gotten a charge out of making people happy by giving them food I cooked. I still feel that way, which is why I run a restaurant.”
“A partner and I opened this place 15 years ago. The business has done well but it hasn’t been a smooth ride. I had to get through the sudden unexpected death of my partner, and then the Covid pandemic. I’m so glad my sister Amber moved here in 2020. She’s been a great addition to the restaurant. She does a lot of our baking, a job that my late partner did.”

Amy on the right and her sister Amber on the left.

Butter Cafe

1106 Brown St,
Dayton OH  45409

Hours
Monday–Friday
8am–2pm Saturday – Sunday
8am–3pm

Rockin with RUDE (Burlesque Dance Class)

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One last groove with RUDE until the new year. This sensual class is designed with all dance levels in mind. Whether you want to perform at home or for a crowd, enhance your confidence through Burlesque.

We’re celebrating the end of the year through dance, featuring drinks and treats! This class is open to all dance levels. Heels are welcomed but not required. Feel free to come as you are. Feel free to wear comfortable clothing or spice things up with something RUDE Burlesque style. RUDE can’t wait to ROCK with You!

Winter Solstice Hike

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Follow the soft glow of luminaries in the snow…

Enjoy the calmness of the woods in winter on the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Hot chocolate and holiday treats will be available for those participating in the hike. This is a self-guided hike along a luminary-lit trail.

Well-mannered dogs on leash always welcome.  For more information call (937) 562-6440.

Let’s Brunch! Charcuterie Workshop

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Welcome to the Let’s Brunch! Charcuterie Workshop happening at 1121 E 2nd St! Join us for a fun-filled morning of learning how to create the perfect charcuterie board. Our expert instructors will guide you through selecting the best meats, cheeses, fruits, and nuts to impress your friends and family at your next gathering. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your brunch game! Reserve your spot now.