Now that the summer solstice has come and gone, we’ll be heavy on outdoor events for the next couple of months – this week with concerts and celebrations in the parks, woods and neighborhood centers, an art gallery “crawl,” movies under the stars and, of course, the ever-popular Panegyri Greek Festival.
Wednesday, June 24
Wednesdays in the Woods, Boy Clothes | 7-9 p.m. Burnet Woods Bandstand, Clifton. 513-497-2860. DETAILS: The Clifton Cultural Arts Center Wednesday evening series this week features local indie rock rock trio Boy Clothes, which mixes original songs with popular covers. Now in its 18th season, the series features not only concerts at the Burnet Woods Bandstand, but food trucks, drink options, lawn games, kids’ art activities and more.
Jazz in the Camp, We Create Jazz Ensemble | 6:30 p.m. American Sign Museum, Camp Washington. 513-280-8181. DETAILS: Presented by Jazz Alive, the Jazz in the Camp (that’s Camp Washington) series presents various local jazz musicians on Wednesday evenings. This week it’s the all-female We Create Jazz Ensemble performing a tribute to Nancy Wilson in the glow of ASM’s neon sign collection.
Thursday, June 25
DE LA Dance Company, “Cinderella” | 7:30 p.m. Anderson Center Theater, Anderson Twp. 513-871-0914. DETAILS: DE LA Dance’s artistic directors, Meredith Benson and Mario de la Nuez, are choreographers for this full-length production of the classic fairy-tale ballet with the wondrous score by composer Sergei Prokofiev – a marvel of musical characterization and rhythmic invention surpassed only by his masterpiece “Romeo and Juliet.” The production promises moments of “sly wit,” action, romance and “a little bit of magic.” Through June 28.
Rockin’ the Roebling, Vinyl Countdown | 6-9:30 p.m. Schmidlapp Event Lawn, Smale Riverfront Park. DETAILS: Cincinnati’s Vinyl Coundown band, not to be confused with a Bay Area New Wave revival band by the same name, promises to take you “back to a time when vinyl was spinning and Rocky was winning!” That means high-energy 1970s and ’80s rock, which the band plays throught the region, particularly for festivals and summer concert series. Sounds like a perfect for this Thursday-night summer party on the river with a variety of foods, beer from Cincinnati Lager House, dancing on the lawn and more.
Friday, June 26
Panegyri Greek Festival | 5-11 p.m. Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Finneytown. 513-591-0030. DETAILS: We’re all Greek this weekend, right? At last at Panegyi, one the the area’s most popular summer cultural festivals, which celebrates its 51th annual edition with its mainstay attractions – that dancing, those gyros, those home-baked Greek pastries! – with a couple of sweet new twists. The festival collaborated with Aglemesis to combine its homemade baklava with the creamery’s French vanilla ice cream – because why not? And there’s a new chocolate confection called the Sokolatopita, which is a chocolate cake made with Belgian chocolate soaked in chocolate syrup and topped with chocolate ganache. Did I mention it has chocolate in it? Part of the festival proceeds goes to support local charities. Festival also runs 3-11 p.m. June 27 and 1-8 p.m. June 28.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, “Artrageous” | 7 p.m. Emery Theater, Over-the-Rhine. 513-569-8080. DETAILS: The Children’s Theatre presents the popular touring theatrical show “Artrageous,” which “transforms the stage into an immersive experience” and “feels like a rock concert meets a live painting event,” TCT notes. The presentation by a troupe of top-notch artists, musicians, dancers and other performers is definitely a family event, a can’t-miss celebration of creativity. Also 2 p.m. June 27 and 28.
Ziegler Park Summer Cinema, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” | 7:30 p.m. Ziegler Park Pool, Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Ziegler Park’s free Wednesday-night cinema series is a good opportunity to bring your fave floaty device and enjoy a movie, hopefully, under the stars. (You don’t have to be in or on the water to watch, btw.) This week, it’s the 2017 action-adventure comedy “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” in which Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart & Co. are teens trapped as adult avatars within a video-game version of “Jumanji,” facing a series of perils in completing their quest, wisecracking all the while. Notably, the film makes references to the character played by the late Robin Williams in the original 1995 “Jumanji.”
Saturday, June 27
Hyde Park Blast | 7a.m.-11 p.m. Hyde Park Square. DETAILS: Yeah, I know (as one of them) Hyde Park residents aren’t exactly known for having a “blast,” but for one day each summer, they let ‘er rip – a 16-hour, day-long block party with musical events, pro bicycle races, a four-mile run/walk, a Kids Fun Run and more. The Hyde Park Blast, founded in 2001 by two neighborhood residents, raises money for research against cancer, notably The Cure Starts Now.
Jazz Vivace Series, Julia Danielle Quartet | 7 & 9 p.m. Caffè Vivace, Walnut Hills. 513-601-9897. DETAILS: Caffè Vivace’s notable nonprofit series this week features a quartet headed by phenomenal young jazz vocalist/composer/arranger Julia Danielle, who won the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition in 2022. A graduate student at The Juilliard School in New York, she had classical and jazz training at Northwestern University and DePaul University. For her two sets at Caffè Vivace, she’s joined by pianist Ben Tweedt, bassist Justin Dawson and drummer Tom Buckley, who themselves make up a notable Cincinnati-based jazz trio.
Art League of Loveland, Art Gallery Crawl | 4-9 p.m. Artist Studios on Main, Loveland. DETAILS: Loveland’s sixth annual Art Gallery Crawl gives visitors the chance to discover the community’s vibrant visual art scene, with seven galleries within a mile or so in the heart of Loveland (Heart? Love? Get it?). You don’t have to crawl, however, you can walk or take one of the event’s two Art Buggies from gallery to studio to gallery for an evening of open houses. Oh, and don’t forget the Loveland Art Studio Tour in October – in Loveland, Colorado, that is. Small world.
Sunday, June 28
Cincinnati Civic Orchestra, Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday | 6:30 p.m. Village Square, Glendale. 513-861-9978. DETAILS: Getting a jump on the area’s Fourth of July celebrations, Cincinnati Civic Orchestra visits Glendale Town Square for a program that celebrates American musical culture from George Gershwin to John Philip Sousa to the Beach Boys to Leonard Bernstein to Disney movies. America may be 250 years old, but CCO isn’t exactly a newcomer: This is the ensemble’s 97th year of presenting summer pops concerts, and its music director, Laurence Bonhaus, has been on the podium since 1985. The orchestra will bring its show to other venues in July – Anderson Township, Erlanger, Colerain Township and Liberty Township.
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Madisonville Brady Block Party | 6:30 p.m. Madisonville Recreation Center, Madisonville. 513-381-3300. DETAILS: The CSO’s Brady Block Parties series of community-focused outdoor events featuring free food, art activities, games and music continues in Madisonville. The family-friendly event winds up with an hour-long performance by the CSO mixing classical, pops and show music. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and coolers, the CSO notes.
Tuesday, June 30
Summer Cinema, “Cars” | 9 p.m. Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. DETAILS: Just like its fellow central-city green space Ziegler Park, Washington Park boasts a weekly Summer Cinema series, this time on land. Bring your supper and movie snacks, unfold your lawn chairs and enjoy this week’s attraction, the 2006 animated comedy “Cars,” about a young racecar named Lightning McQueen who learns some important life (and, we assume, carburetion) lessons during his pursuit of the Piston Cup. The film’s high-octane lineup features the voices of Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Michael Keaton and many others, even Larry the Cable Guy. Plus the one guy who actually knows something about cars: Richard Petty.
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