Gem City Living | Fall festivals are in full swing🎬

Lifestyles
By
Oct 10, 2024
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Hello, readers! A variety of exciting fall festivals leads this week’s Gem City Living newsletter.

Diverse queer cinema at The Neon, a vibrant array of art and unique goods in Yellow Springs, and celebrations of the local music scene have been recently spotlighted by our Lifestyles team. Check out our coverage of the following festivals vying for your attention this weekend.

Out Here Dayton Film Fest

Yellow Springs Street Fair

Dayton Music Fest

Art Parkd, Dayton’s DIY music and arts festival

The “Out Here Dayton Film Festival” is slated for Oct. 10-13, 2024 and will feature 25 films, including shorts, documentaries and features. CONTRIBUTED

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This week’s edition of the newsletter also explores Beggars Night, Tony Danza in concert, El Toro’s 25th anniversary, Kate Winslet’s latest Oscar-worthy performance, and the enduring legacies of Dayton’s own Willis “Bing” Davis and Joe Madison.

Let us know what you think. If you have thoughts, feedback or news tips, please email me at Russell.Florence@coxinc.com.

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😊Around Town: 10 things to do this weekend in the Dayton region

The Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival typically draws in more than 350,000 attendees each year, event organizers say. STAFF

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Waynesville’s Sauerkraut Festival, Fairborn’s Halloween Festival, Xenia’s Oktoberfest celebration, and the Dayton return of comedian and best-selling author Charlie Berens are among this weekend’s top events.

🎃 Fall Fun: Trick-or-treat times for the Dayton region

Beggars Night — or trick-or-treat night — will happen in many communities from Oct. 26- 31, 2024. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

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Credit: Nick Graham

Numerous communities around the region are gearing up for this year’s round of eager trick-or-treaters. Check out our Beggars Night roundup.

đŸŽ” Music: Tony Danza and his band perform at Troy’s Arbogast Center

Tony Danza and his four-piece band will perform "Standards and Stories" Oct. 12 at the Arobgast Performing Arts Center in Troy. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Sitcom star Tony Danza (”Who’s The Boss?”) and his four-piece band will salute the Great American Songbook at the Arbogast Performing Arts Center in Troy on Saturday, Oct. 12. This reflective evening of stories and songs will center on Danza’s lifelong admiration for Frank Sinatra. Read more about the show.

đŸœïž Food & Dining: El Toro celebrates 25 years with weekend fiesta

El Toro, a locally owned Mexican restaurant, has expanded to 14 locations across the Dayton area with more on the way. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

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Happy 25th anniversary El Toro! The popular, locally owned Mexican restaurant will celebrate with a fiesta from 1-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 in the center court of The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek. This family-friendly affair will include food, drinks, giveaways and children’s activities. If you can’t attend you can celebrate at any El Toro location Saturday and receive 25 percent off your total bill. Read here for more details.

🎭 Arts News: Regional premiere of ‘Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson’, Dayton Dance Initiative update and more

Left to right: Kelly Mengelkoch (Mrs. Hudson, Irene Adler and others), Maggie Lou Rader (Ms. Joan Watson), Matthew Sierra (Inspector Lestrade, Elliot Monk and others) and Shonita Joshi (Ms. Sherlock Holmes) comprise the cast of the Human Race Theatre Company's production of "Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B." PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMAN RACE THEATRE

Credit: HUMAN RACE THEATRE

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Credit: HUMAN RACE THEATRE

A feminist spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic sleuths launches the Human Race Theatre Company’s 39th season this weekend. Read more about this local premiere and other arts updates including news from Dayton Dance Initiative.

đŸ“·Visual Arts: Free photography art exhibits across SW Ohio: How to go — and which are the stars of the show

Cara Lee Wade’s camera-less lumen process creates works that reference the symbiotic relationship between nature and humans. Her work is being shown at Rosewood Arts Center. CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED

This year’s FotoFocus Biennial runs through October featuring more than 100 projects presented at more than 80 venues. The event is currently taking place in museums, galleries, universities and public spaces in Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Northern Kentucky. Read more about this year’s program, the largest in its history.

đŸŽ”Music: Roger Glass Center to host tribute night, ‘Elvis Meets Motown Meets Elvis’

Motown Sounds of Touch, a local vocal group, will co-headline a show with local Elvis impersonator Ryan Roth inside the Concert Hall of the Roger Glass Center for the Arts on Oct. 12, 2024. CONTRIBUTED

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Local Elvis impersonator Ryan Roth and local vocal group Motown Sounds of Touch are joining forces for a nostalgic evening of rock and roll and Motown inside the Concert Hall of the Roger Glass Center for the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 12. Roth has been impersonating Elvis for 15 years. Motown Sounds of Touch were a Top 3 finalist on NBC’s singing competition “The Winner Is
” with Nick Lachey. Read more about Saturday’s concert.

đŸ“șTV: Bing Davis documentary premieres Thursday

Willis "Bing" Davis. EASTERLING STUDIOS

Credit: EASTERLING STUDIOS

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Credit: EASTERLING STUDIOS

ThinkTV’s documentary about the career of legendary Dayton artist and educator Willis “Bing” Davis will premiere at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10.

The internationally renowned artist is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2022 Citizen Legion of Honor Award and 2009 Ohio Governor’s Irma Lazarus Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest art award given in the state of Ohio. He is also the owner and curator of the Willis “Bing” Davis Art Studio and EbonNia Gallery in the Wright Dunbar district.

Titled “Willis ‘Bing’ Davis: Reach High & Reach Back” and created in partnership with Public Media Connect, the documentary will air on ThinkTV16, CET, the station’s livestreams, and the PBS app. Read more about the documentary.

đŸ™ïžAround Town: Dayton street to be honorably designated as ‘Joe Madison Way’

Dayton native Joe Madison, longtime radio host and activist. FACEBOOK PHOTO

Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO

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Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO

On Friday, Oct. 11 Cowart Street in Dayton will be honorably designated as “Joe Madison Way” in memory of the late, award-winning radio host, activist and Dayton native.

Madison, a 1967 graduate of Roosevelt High School and 2019 Radio Hall of Fame inductee, died Jan. 31 at age 74 having battled prostate cancer. As host of the SiriusXM talk show “The Black Eagle,” he was known for providing a call to action for his listeners: “What are you going to do about it?”

Read more about the dedication and Madison’s impactful career.

🎬Movie of the Week: “Lee”

Oscar buzz! Academy Award winner Kate Winslet delivers another memorably compelling performance as passionate, headstrong World War II Vogue magazine photojournalist Lee Miller in this gripping drama about art, family, friendship, evil, betrayal, rejection, and forgiveness.

In addition to Andy Samberg’s impressive vulnerability as Lee’s sidekick David Scherman and a beautifully haunting score by composer Alexandre Desplat, I can’t stop thinking about the poignant, surprising finale providing the best ending of any film I have seen thus far this year. “Lee” continues at The Neon. Check neonmovies.com for showtimes.

⭐Community Spotlight: Christie Tilton

Tilton (L) receiving a 2024 Driver of the Month award from CPC Logistics in April. She is shown with her operations manager, Bill Kinman.

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Female truck driver Christie Tilton of Eaton recently received the National Driver All-Stars award in Florida. Read more about her inspiring story of breaking barriers in the male-dominated world of truck driving.

đŸ“·Photos: Wagner Subaru Outdoor Experience, Blessing of the Animals, and Spirit of Huffman Historic Home Tour

Epiphany Lutheran Church, located at 6430 Far Hills Ave. in Centerville, hosted a Blessing of the Animals celebration at the church’s outdoor chapel on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. The service was officiated by Pastor Julie Reuning-Scherer of Epiphany Lutheran Church and Fr. Brian Phelps of Church of the Incarnation and St. Francis of Assisi Church. TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

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Credit: Tom Gilliam

Five Rivers MetroParks hosted the Wagner Subaru Outdoor Experience at Eastwood MetroPark in Dayton on Oct. 5 and 6.

Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville hosted a Blessing of the Animals celebration on Oct. 5.

The biennial Spirit of Huffman Historic Home Tour happened in Dayton’s Huffman Historic Area on Oct. 4 and 5.

đŸ“șICYMI: Episode of ‘Scariest House in America’ on HGTV featuring a Dayton-area home airs Friday

This home is Dayton will be featured on an Oct. 11, 2024 episode of "Scariest House in America" on HGTV, hosted by comedian Retta. CREDIT: HGTV

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A possibly haunted Dayton-area home will be featured in an episode of “Scariest House in America,” a spinoff of HGTV’s “Ugliest House in America” television show, airing at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11. The host of the show, Retta, travels to three “scary” Midwest-region homes in the episode. The owners are vying for the chance at a $150,000 makeover by designer Alison Victoria of the HGTV show “Windy City Rehab.”

TELL US

Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter. I encourage you to keep in touch. Share story tips or feedback about this newsletter by emailing me at Russell.Florence@coxinc.com.

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About the Author

Russell Florence Jr. is team leader/coordinator of Lifestyles/Dayton.com. He has been an arts/lifestyles reporter for Dayton Daily News since 2012. He formerly served on the Dayton Daily News Community Board of Contributors and assisted the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board. He received his BA in mass communications from Wright State University.