March 2024

ARTS & CULTURE | COMMUNITY | PHILANTHROPY

March 2024

Clifton Cultural Arts Center opens FOCUS ON:

Senior Services Suspension (bridge) of disbelief Polly Campbell on walking our city’s steps

Leslie Mooney of the CCAC

...TO THE NINES 9 YEARS IN A ROW CINCINNATI’S TOP AGENT!

SETTING A RECORD AS THE #1 AGENT FOR CINCINNATI RAGC®!

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Movers&Makers March 2024

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Publishers’ Letter 4 Arts/Culture 6 New Jewish festival of music and culture 6 Author applies Alexander Technique to performing arts 6 Region shines bright at classical Grammys 7 Clifton Cultural Arts Center finally has a new home |

By David Lyman 8 A/C List 10

The Datebook 20 Social calendar with a spotlight on the movers and makers behind Greater Cincinnati’s fundraisers, friend-raisers and community events.

FOCUS ON: Senior Services Panel: Aging in cyberspace | By Shauna Steigerwald 26 Notables in Senior Services 31

Gifts/Grants 32 Nonprofit News 34 Names in the News 36

Snapshots 37 Opera’s YP Bacchanal 37 SCPA Future of the Arts 38 Women Walking West RISE Gala 39 Ride Cincinnati raises record total for cancer research 40

Making a Difference for the Future With the support of the Life Enriching Communities (LEC) Foundation, our not-for-profit communities are able to offer an abundant lifestyle for both independent and assisted living residents with access to quality dining, amenities, and programs.

Through Benevolent Care, residents are able to remain in their chosen LEC homes and community, regardless of the changes in their financial situation.

The LEC Foundation supports the growing needs of residents and associates.

Visit www.lec.org/foundation to discover the Life Enriching Communities difference and support the LEC Foundation by viewing A Musical Feast on May 16, 2024.

Good Samaritans bring in $718K 41 BE NKY Growth Partnership Annual Forum 42 Visit Cincy shares convention center renderings 43 Life Skills Training program celebrates inaugural class 44 LovisFrost winter dance spreads joy to underserved 44 ArtWorks unveils new monuments report 45 OneNKY Alliance’s legislative reception in Frankfort 46

Guest Column 47 Elizabeth Mariner: Suspension of disbelief – a Roebling Bridge research odyssey

The Last Word 50 Polly Campbell: Walking Cincinnati’s public stairways On the cover: Leslie Mooney atop the new Clifton Cultural Arts Center, photo by Tina Gutierrez

Twin Lakes | Twin Towers Confident Living Life Enriching Communities welcomes people of all faiths.

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MARCH 2024

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PUBLISHERS’ LETTER

T

echnology can be both our friend and our foe, right? And this dichotomy is only exacerbated for those experiencing the aggravations of aging. We called on experts from several area senior service agencies to share their perspectives about the challenges and opportunities technology presents to their clients. Shauna Steigerwald led the conversation and distilled the results.

See Page 26.

We also invited senior service organizations to nominate individuals who’ve made “notable” contributions within the sector. Meet them on Page 31.

And speaking of challenges: In case you have not been paying attention the past few years, the intrepid folks at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center have withstood displacement, dispersal, controversy and construction but the end is in sight. David Lyman brings us up to date, as the new CCAC prepares to finally open this month. See Page 8.

Polly Campbell has been exploring the steps and alleys that serve as pedestrian linkage between the downtown basin and its several surrounding hills, including the one that rises behind me as I type this – Prospect Hill. (Each election day we climb the Young Street steps up to God’s Bible College – our polling place – stopping several times along the way to say a little prayer.) Thankfully, there is a nonprofit caring for these oft-neglected pathways. Polly spotlights the work of Spring in our Steps and the joy of urban discovery in her Last Word column on Page 50.

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When not crafting this very magazine or dealing with the accounting needs of our small nonprofit, Elizabeth Mariner also edits the novels of our friend and Over-the-Rhine neighbor Mark E. Scott. While doing some fact-checking, she questioned the veracity of a piece of information, which led her down a bit of an obsessive research dive into the relationship between the Ohio River and our beloved Roebling Bridge. She shares her odyssey and findings on Page 47.

As always, we are so grateful for your time and attention. If you like what you see, tell a friend, sign up for our free weekly email, and please donate via our website to help expand our reach.

Very much appreciated!

For their work on this issue, our gratitude to:

• Tess Brown and Casey Weldon, associate editors • Phil Fisher and Ray Cooklis copy editors • Tina Gutierrez, photographer • All the nonprofits that contributed news and photos.

Arts coverage supported by:

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859.491.2400 metropolitanclub.net

ARTS/CULTURE

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Arts/Culture

Benjamin Gittens

Danqi Zeng

Katie Barton

William Herzog

Pavel Vinnitsky

Ariel Quartet

Festival to celebrate Jewish music and culture Performing groups, artists and experts from around the world will participate in the inaugural Cincinnati Jewish Music and Culture Festival, set for March 3-26.

The festival, with events in several area venues, focuses on music by Jewish composers or on Jewish themes, and features the work of such composers as Aaron Copland, Ernest Bloch, Dmitri Shostakovich, Erich Korngold, Osvaldo Golijov and others. But the nine-concert series spans many genres and art forms – chamber music, orchestral, choral, folk music, lectures, visual art and even a “Jews on Broadway Cabaret” March 26.

“I want to use music to bring different cultures together so people can be seen and heard,” said Aik Khai Pung, the festival’s artistic director.

Pung, who will conduct the CCM Concert Orchestra and Seven Hills Symphony during the festival, grew up in a self-described multicultural setting in Malaysia. He finds that classical music traditions in the United States can sometimes be limiting because of a tendency to focus on European styles.

Through his organization Cincinnati Arts & Cultural Exchange, Pung hopes to highlight more cultures and traditions – as with the Jewish Music and Culture Festival, which has been in the works for the past 18 months. “Our work is fueled by a relentless passion for connecting individuals and groups from all walks of life with the rich tapestry of artistic traditions that make Cincinnati such a vibrant and culturally diverse city,” Pung said.

Other scheduled performers include concert:nova, the Ariel Quartet, clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky, violinist William Herzog, pianist Benjamin Gittens and others.

Many faculty members, students and alumni from Xavier University, Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music are involved in the festival.

On March 3 at First Lutheran Church in Over-the-Rhine, CCM alumna Samantha Stinson and Alex Weiser – director of public programs at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – will give a lecture focused on Jewish/Yiddish

art songs, followed by a vocal chamber recital

by Stinson with current CCM students. The program features Weiser’s song cycle “and all the days were purple,” which includes songs in Yiddish and English. The work was a finalist or the 2020 Pulitzer Prize.

Another highlight will be the “Music from Auschwitz” concert on March 7 curated by Patricia Hall of the University of Michigan, with music by composers imprisoned in the infamous concentration camp. Among the many performers on that program are saxophonist Rick VanMatre and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Avishay Shalom.

First Lutheran Church is one of four primary festival partners, along with the Mayerson JCC, Hebrew Union College and Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. The festival’s main sponsor is the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, with sponsorship from the Friedlander Family Fund.

Some events are free, while others have ticket prices ranging from $15 to $35.  cincinnatiartsandculturalexchange.org

Local musician’s book helps performers overcome obstacles Cincinnati violinist, music coach and mind-body expert Jennifer Roig-Francoli recently published her book “Make Great Music With Ease!” on Amazon. The book, based on her experience as a performer, coach and teacher of the Alexander Technique, is intended to help and inspire “all kinds of musicians – from amateur hobbyists to elite professionals,” the author says.

Roig-Francoli’s specialty is helping musicians overcome physical and emotional obstacles to making music with ease and enjoying a healthy, balanced life. She works with musicians online, but believes her new book “isn’t just for musicians, since anybody can benefit from many of the ideas and exercises within the book.”

A former associate concertmaster for the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Cleveland-based ensemble Apollo’s Fire, Roig-Francoli has taught at the University 6

MARCH 2024

Movers & Makers

of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Xavier University and is a certified Alexander Technique teacher, specializing in online, touch-free instruction.

Her research on Alexander Technique for surgeons at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was published in the Journal of Urology.

Alexander Technique, developed in the early 20th century by actor-lecturer Frederick Matthias Alexander, is a self-directed method for releasing bodily tension.

It has been used for decades by professional musicians, particularly singers, to help them perform with better poise and less strain on their bodies.

In addition to the book on Amazon and her online private and group classes, Roig-Francoli has a free Facebook group for people to learn about the technique.  facebook.com, artoffreedom.me

Jennifer Roig-Francoli, violinist, music coach and mind-body expert

Region shines bright at 2024 Grammy Awards Musicians from and associfurther into the lives of ated with our Tristate region listeners.” were conspicuous among 2024 Conductor Teddy classical music winners the Abrams and his 2024 Grammys.

Louisville Orchestra Composer Jessie took home the Grammy Montgomery won for Best Classical the Grammy for Best Instrumental Solo Contemporary Classical for their album “The Composition for “Rounds,” American Project,” her work for piano and headlined by pianist chamber orchestra featured Yuja Wang. on “Stillpoint,” an album Imani Winds, coming Album cover for “Stillpoint” showcasing new works by six here March 10 and 12 diverse composers. The recording is a collabofor Chamber Music Cincinnati, won for “Passion For Bach And Coltrane” in the category of Best ration between pianist/conductor Awadagin Classical Compendium.

Pratt, a cappella ensemble Roomful of Teeth, Baritone Ryan Speedo Green, who debuted in string orchestra A Far Cry, and composers Montgomery, Alvin Singleton, Judd Greenstein, Cincinnati for Matinée Musicale in 2022, was Paola Prestini, Pēteris Vasks and Tyshawn Sorey. part of the Grammy-winning cast for Best Opera Recording: “Champion” by Terence Blanchard.

Pratt recently left his position as professor of Soprano Julia Bullock and her husband, conpiano and artist-in-residence at the University ductor Christian Reif, won the Grammy for Best of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Classical Solo Vocal Album. They performed to teach at the San Francisco Conservatory their chamber arrangement of John Adams’ “El of Music. The Art of Piano festival, which he Niño” at Music Hall as part of the CSO Proof founded at CCM, will now take place in San series on Nov. 30.

Francisco beginning this summer.

Nominees for Best Choral Performance in“I’m very excited for Jessie Montgomery’s ‘Rounds’ … to have won a Grammy and be cluded former and current Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati music directors Donald Nally and acknowledged as the tremendously invigorating, captivating and essential piece of music Craig Hella Johnson for their recent albums that it is,” said Pratt. “I have been privileged to leading Philadelphia’s The Crossing (“Carols be the exclusive performer of ‘Rounds’ thus far After A Plague”) and Austin’s Conspirare (“The for close to 100 performances since March of House Of Belonging”), respectively.  grammy.com 2022. We hope this recognition helps launch it

ARTS/CULTURE

Celebrated chef picked as Taft’s artist-in-residence

Celebrated chef Tunde Wey will serve as the Taft Museum of Art’s 2024 Duncanson artist-in-residence.

The Nigeria-born, New Orleans-based artist, writer and culinary master will spend two weeks in Cincinnati this spring educating audiences on the intersection of food and the political economy.

Wey is the 37th resident in the history of the Duncanson Residency, which focuses on elevating the profile Photo: Jonathan Peterson of Black and Brown contemporary artists.

Since its founding in 1986, the program has featured artists from a wide range of mediums – painting, fashion design, dance, poetry, theater and more. Cellist Anita Graef was the resident last year. Chef Tunde Wey This year, for the first time, the Taft turned to artists whose creative studio is the kitchen. As part of the residency, Wey will lead a series of public events and workshops April 13-27. He’ll also visit several Greater Cincinnati schools.  taftmuseum.org

FotoFocus hosts award-winning filmmaker for free lecture Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, who became the first AfricanAmerican director to win an Oscar with his 2009 film “Music with Prudence,” will speak in Cincinnati as part of the FotoFocus Lecture and Visiting Artist Series. Williams’ lecture, set for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, is free and open to the public.

Williams, who also has won Emmy and Peabody awards for his work, explores personal, social and political issues in documentary form.

His “The 1619 Project,” which premiered in 2023 on Hulu, won an Emmy.

He is co-founder of the production company One Story Up, and has expanded into scripted

feature films with his “Cassandro” starring Gael Garcia Bernal, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. One Story Up has produced such works as the “High on the Hog” food series for Netflix and an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me.” He also recently released “The Super Models” for Apple TV+, which follows the lives and careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista.

“Roger Ross Williams is a visionary within contemporary filmmaking. His work speaks to the power of film as a critical resource and change agent,” said Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth, FotoFocus executive director.

Williams has received the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association and the Woodstock

Film Festival Maverick Award.

FotoFocus, which brings photography and lens-based art programming to Cincinnati yearround, is hosting Williams for the second time; the filmmaker participated in the Lens Mix conversation series in 2020.  fotofocus.org Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams

Photo: Justin Bettman

March 21, 6 p.m., National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, downtown

Movers & Makers

MARCH 2024

7

ARTS/CULTURE

Leslie Mooney, CCAC executive director, with founding board member Mark McKillip

Photo: Tina G utierrez

The wandering CCAC has finally found a home

T

By David Lyman

he new Clifton Cultural Arts Center is full of light.

Even on the grayest day, the towering front wall of glass illuminates the white-on-white interior with a breathtaking glow.

The blank space is waiting to be adorned with whatever creative adventures the expected thousands of visitors and patrons conjure up.

CCAC’s new home at 3412 Clifton Ave. officially opens its doors on March 9. But they’ve been holding a few classes there since early February so they can ease into the space and see that the building actually works.

The three-story, 20,000-squarefoot, brick and glass structure has a roof terrace that is expected to see heavy use in warm weather. Inside are spaces dedicated to visual arts, dance, theater and community gatherings.

As important as the building itself, though, is the location. It faces Clifton Avenue, just a couple of hundred feet north of the CliftonLudlow intersection that is the epicenter of one of the city’s most progressive neighborhoods.

It is highly visible, towering over the parking lot of one of the busiest Skyline Chili locations in the area.

Scoff if you will, but location is 8

MARCH 2024

everything. And this is an A-list location.

This building – the vision of Emersion Design – is, in nearly every way, the CCAC that supporters have dreamt of since the organization was created 20 years ago.

But the journey to get to this point has not been an easy one.

“Grueling” and “contentious” could be applied to the path, which has been littered with several headline-grabbing bumps along the way.

Beginnings Back in 2004, the idea of an arts center in Clifton was a nobrainer. As every marketer knows, the 45220 ZIP code was and is a hub of arts-interested people. Yes, college students are abundant.

But Clifton also is home to many, many medical professionals and academic staff from the University of Cincinnati and Hebrew Union College.

At the outset, there were a few complications. One of the early debates was about the name. Should they include “Clifton” in the name? If they did, would it limit their audience?

“We liked the idea of the

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‘Uptown Arts Center,’ ” founding board member Mark McKillip recalled. “But Dick Rosenthal already had that name – ‘Uptown Arts’ – so we decided to stick with ‘Clifton.’ ” Besides, Cincinnati Public Schools had announced in 2002 that it was planning to shutter Clifton School, a Beaux Arts landmark built in 1906 and one of the anchors of the Clifton Avenue Historic District.

For McKillip, an architect, and many others, the idea that the building would be left to deteriorate was unthinkable.

“They said it wasn’t worth renovating,” McKillip said. “So we said that we would buy it.”

Unexpectedly, that ended up being a political hot potato, one of many CCAC would face over the years.

“It turned out that under a new state law, they couldn’t sell the building to another entity until it had been offered to charter schools,” said Leslie Mooney, who came on board as executive director in 2013.

At the time, it didn’t seem like a significant problem. After all, CPS couldn’t envision a time when they would want to return to an aged

building in need of millions of dollars of structural work. Since the district couldn’t sell it, they gave CCAC a 30-year lease at the price of just $1 a year.

CCAC took up residence in Clifton School in 2008. Everything was great.

The building was pricey to maintain. Utilities alone cost about $100,000 a year. But there was lots of open space. And plenty of parking. The location was easily accessible to people not just from Clifton, but from Avondale, Northside and Spring Grove Village, among other neighborhoods.

Displacement But in March 2017, CPS announced its termination of CCAC’s lease. New policies and greater enrollment meant that the Fairview German Language School across the street could no longer handle the demand. At the same time, many Cliftonites were clamoring for the return of a neighborhood school. Fairview was – and is – a magnet school, drawing from all over the city. It is focused more on its academic mission than it is on being a neighborhood anchor.

“The rug was pulled out from

ARTS/CULTURE

Suddenly, the CCAC was portrayed as a bad guy. A well-intentioned bad guy, but one that was oblivious to what people really wanted. underneath us,” Mooney said. The CCAC fought back, but the CPS lease was airtight. “For the most part, the community was on our side. After all, we took this historic building that no one else wanted, then raised money and put time and effort into it. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we saved it.”

As noble as their cause was, the contract was binding. They had a year to vacate.

Controversy Then, a representative of the Cincinnati Park Board contacted them. Would CCAC consider moving into a corner of Burnet Woods? What could be more Clifton-centric than that?

What they did not forsee was the public backlash to carving out a piece of a park that had already seen enormous chunks of its acreage gobbled up by the University of Cincinnati.

Suddenly, the CCAC was portrayed as a bad guy. A wellintentioned bad guy, but one that was oblivious to what people really wanted.

“The opposition was so vocal,” McKillip said. “I didn’t expect that. I don’t think anyone did.”

Mooney wasn’t surprised that there would be people who didn’t agree with them. But she was shocked by the tone of the attacks against CCAC. “I was surprised about how nasty it got. I still feel we would have been a great asset for Burnet Woods. Remember, I live in Clifton, too. I have four kids. And we go to Burnet Woods. I thought it was a good solution. But the nastiness of the false information

was unfortunate. It was a sobering learning experience.”

By the time the park board denied their request, they had lost more than a year – a year that saw them having to vacate Clifton School. Activities were dispersed around the area, with the bulk of them shifted to Turner Hall – formerly The Dance Hall – in Corryville.

Once again, they found themselves searching for a home. They looked at more than 40 locations; from the Carson Masonic Lodge on Ludlow Avenue and an old church on Central Parkway to locations that were outside Clifton.

At one point, the situation grew so dire that one of the options was to cease operations and close down altogether.

Finally, a solution Enter Dewey’s Pizza, which had purchased the former Anderson, Baiter & Sahnd Funeral Home when the proposed development on the site was rejected by the Clifton Town Meeting, the neighborhood association.

At first, Dewey’s founder and Executive Chairman Andrew Dewitt wasn’t interested in CCAC’s proposal. It wasn’t practical, as they were hoping to squeeze a 30,000-square-foot building onto too small of a lot. But after months of negotiations and rejiggering the CCAC’s design, they came to an agreement involving not just Dewey’s and the CCAC, but also Skyline Chili and the Clifton United Methodist Church.

“It was fantastic,” said McKillip.

“We managed to work out a threeway parking agreement. There is a connection from the new Dewey’s parking lot to the church’s parking.

Then the church has the right to use Dewey’s lot on Sunday mornings and in the end, it added 22 parking spaces for us. It was all very complicated.”

But it was a most Cliftonesque solution. So was the entire resolution to the CCAC dilemma.

Clifton is a community that prides itself on finding practical solutions to the most complex problems.

Contentiousness is not unheard of. But Mooney was flabbergasted about the uncharacteristic “nastiness” aimed at them.

It has taken the better part of eight years, but the CCAC finally has found a home to call its own.

“I think it has all been worth it,” Mooney said. “All of it. Even with the painful parts. I really was devastated when the park board chose not to move forward. But you spend some time licking your wounds. You take some time to mourn those losses and then you move on.

Once again, they found themselves searching for a home … At one point, the situation grew so dire that one of the options was to cease operations and close down altogether.

TO SIR WITH

“It has been wonderful and fascinating and frustrating. We launched our capital campaign in May of 2020 – two months into a global pandemic. But we had this compelling project and hundreds and hundreds of volunteers determined to make it work. And once we finally landed on this site, we could tell this story: This is what it will look like. This is what we will do there. And now, it’s finally happening.”

CCAC’s Grand Opening for its new building at 3412 Clifton Ave. is 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. March 9. The free, open-house event will include: entertainment by Madcap Puppets, Jake Speed & The Freddies and others; self-guided tours of the center; demonstrations and classes in various visual and performing arts; an artist talk and opening reception for the inaugural exhibit “HAIRitage” by Erin Smith Glenn.   cliftonculturalarts.org

JOIN US ON JULY 18, 2024

TO SIR WITH

A TRIBUTE TO PAUL MCCARTNEY on the world stage premiere of his LIVERPOOL ORATORIO at Cincinnati Opera Music Hall cincinnatiopera.org

TO SIR WITH Movers & Makers MARCH 2024

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The A/C List Also online at moversmakers.org ARTS/CULTURE | The List

Cultural Exhibits/Tours American Legacy Tours | Over-the-Rhine. 859-951-8560. americanlegacytours.com Historic tours American Sign Museum | Camp Washington. 513-541-6366. americansignmuseum.org Permanent collection Archaeological Research Institute | Lawrenceburg. 812-290-2966. exploreari.org Hands-on educational experiences Behringer-Crawford Museum | Devou Park, Covington. 859-491-4003. bcmuseum.org History of Northern Kentucky Brewing Heritage Trail Tour Center | ​ Brewery District, Over-the-Rhine.

513-604-9812. brewingheritagetrail.org Queen City beverage history Cincinnati Fire Museum | Downtown.

513-621-5553. cincyfiremuseum.com Permanent collection Cincinnati Food Tours | Findlay Market, Over-the-Rhine.

513-602-5602. cincinnatifoodtours.com Queen City food heritage Cincinnati Museum Center | Queensgate. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org Thru July 28. Pompeii: The Exhibition Cincinnati Nature Center | Milford. cincynature.org Hiking and exploring old growth forest Cincinnati Observatory | Hyde Park. cincinnatiobservatory.org Oldest professional U.S. observatory Cincinnati Type & Print Museum | Lower Price Hill. cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org Equipment, tools and artifacts Cincinnati Zoo | Avondale.

513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org Fridays-Sundays thru March 15, 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. Penguin Days

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MARCH 2024

Friends of Music Hall | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-621-2787. friendsofmusichall.org Indoor tours available weekly Outdoor tours by appointment Greater Cincinnati Police Museum | Pendleton. 513-300-3664. police-museum.org Permanent collection Harriet Beecher Stowe House (Currently under renovation) | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org Saturdays & Sundays. Sneak Peek Visits Heritage Village Museum | Sharonville. 513-563-9484. heritagevillagecincinnati.org March 23, 7-10 p.m. Starlight Ghost Tour Holocaust & Humanity Center | Cincinnati Museum Center. 513-487-3055. holocaustandhumanity.org Exhibitions memorializing the Holocaust

Artifacts and other treasures from the unearthed city of Pompeii are on display at Cincinnati Museum Center through July 28.

Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. 513-221-1875. csm.huc.edu Permanent exhibit: “An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience”

Dance

Krohn Conservatory | Eden Park. 513-421-4086. cincinnati-oh.gov/cincyparks Thru April 21. “The Shape of Nature Featuring Oscillation”

College-Conservatory of Music | Cohen Studio Theater, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu Feb. 29-March 2. Student Choreographers’ Showcase

Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org Permanent exhibit. George Rieveschl Jr.: History of Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Cultural Centre of India | culturalcenterofindia.com March 16, 2 p.m. “Dances of India” (Hebron Library) March 23, 2 p.m. “Holi Festival Dances” (Union Township Library, Eastgate)

Milford Historical Society | The Promont, Milford. 513-248-0324. milfordhistory.net Permanent exhibit. Art, artifacts and more National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | The Banks, downtown. 513-333-7500. freedomcenter.org Exploring themes of individual freedom National VOA Museum of Broadcasting | West Chester.

513-777-0027. voamuseum.org Voice of America anti-propaganda RAPTOR Inc. | Milford. raptorinc.org Birds of prey sanctuary

Movers & Makers

DE LA Dance Company | Kennedy Heights. 513-871-0914. deladancecompany.org Thru March 2. “DanceCincinnati24” Flying Cloud Academy of Vintage Dance | vintagedance.net March 22-24. Victorian Spring Ball (Wyoming Fine Arts Center) Mutual Dance Theatre | Jarson-Kaplan, Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-494-6526. mutualdance.org March 8-9. Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre Revolution Dance Theatre | Jarson-Kaplan Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. revodance.com March 8-9. “I Dream of Me”

Shen Yun | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center. 877-818-8029. shenyun.com/cincinnati March 2-3. Classical Chinese dance and orchestral music

Fairs/Festivals/Markets Bockfest | Bockfest Hall - Findlay Playground, Over-the-Rhine. bockfest.com March 1-3. Parade, 5K, tours and historical programming Cincinnati International Wine Festival | Duke Energy Convention Center. winefestival.com March 7-9. Wine dinners, grand tastings, auction and more Covington Farmers Market | Braxton Brewing Company,Covington. greatneighborhoods.org Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Findlay Market | Over-the-Rhine. findlaymarket.org Ohio’s oldest surviving municipal market house Madeira Farmers Market | Dawson Road at Miami Avenue, Madeira. madeirafarmersmarket.com Thursdays, 4-6 p.m. Local growers Northside Farmers Market | Heart of Northside, Northside. northsidefm.org Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m. Regional food and beverage market

Coming in 2024-2025 FIVE FOR 95 — OUR 95TH SEASON Takács Quartet

“One of the ten greatest string quartet ensembles of all time.”

—BBC Music Magazine “… one of the best available [Beethoven] cycles, possibly the finest…”

—Gramophone Tuesday, September 24, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.

Cuarteto Casals

“The immediately striking thing is the sound … performances of fleet-footed conviction.”

—Gramophone Wednesday, November 13, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.

Photo: AmandaTipton

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

“… the sort of lofty emotional peak you’d have expected from a du Pré or a Navarra.”

—Gramophone Tuesday, December 10, 2024 • 7:30 p.m.

Isidore Quartet and Jeremy Denk, piano

Jerusalem Quartet

“The Isidore’s total commitment to the piece, (allied to its fine-tuned ensemble,) made for a convincing performance.”

—The Strad

“…a virtuosic ensemble with a glorious sound and irresistible panache…”

—The Guardian

“Mr. Denk, clearly, is a pianist you want to hear, no matter what he performs.”

—New York Times

“Unity of sound and purpose is a given in any performance by the extraordinary Jerusalem Quartet.”

—New York Times

Thursday, May 1, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 6, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.

All concerts at Memorial Hall. Subscriptions $125 on sale now at CincyChamber.org or call Memorial Hall at 513-977-8838. Single tickets on sale this summer. Students under 18 admitted free, 18 and over $10, if available, on the day of performance.

CHAMBER MUSIC CINCINNATI

ARTS/CULTURE | The List

Film The Barn / ARTFlix | Mariemont.

513-272-3700. artatthebarn.org March 14, 7 p.m. “Death and The Maiden: Egon Schiele” Cincinnati Museum Center | OMNIMAX/Union Terminal. 513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org/omnimax Now playing. “Serengeti: Journey to the Heart of Africa” • “Jane Goodall – Reasons for Hope” • “Deep Sky” Cincinnati World Cinema | Garfield Theatre, downtown.

859-957-3456. cincyworldcinema.org March 1-3 & 8-9. 2024 OscarNominated Shorts HorrorHound Weekend | Sharonville Convention Center, Sharonville. horrorhoundweekend.com March 22-24 Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine.

513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com March 11, 7:30 p.m. “Ghosts of the Chelsea Hotel (and Other Rock & Roll Stories)” March 18, 7:30 p.m. “Stop Making Sense” March 25, 7:30 p.m. “Who Can See Forever: A Portrait of Iron & Wine”

Literary/Lectures Barnes & Noble | Virtual. 513-972-5146. stores.barnesandnoble.com March 4, 3 p.m. Discussion: Simone St. James “Murder Road” March 5, 3 p.m. Discussion: Dolly Alderton “Good Material” March 6, 3 p.m. Discussion: Tana French “The Hunter” March 13, 3 p.m. Discussion: Caitlin Mullen “Please See Us” Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park.

513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org March 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. See the Story: Tommy Orange “There, There” Cincinnati Museum Center | Virtual.

513-287-7000. cincymuseum.org 4th Tuesdays. Live Virtual Speakers Bureau presentations Cincinnati Poetry Slam | Artsville, Madisonville. cincinnatipoetryslam.com March 9, 5 p.m. Season 7 Kickoff

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MARCH 2024

Cincinnati Zoo, Barrows Conservation Lectures | Avondale. 513-281-4700. cincinnatizoo.org March 13, 7 p.m. Samuel James March 27, 7 p.m. Lucy Cooke Decorative Arts Society of Cincinnati | Cincinnati Art Museum. decorativeartsociety.org March 10, 2 p.m. The 26th annual Kreines Lecture: “Indigenous Glass” Fitton Center | Hamilton.

513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org March 6, 11:30 a.m. Celebrating Self Series: Brandon Saurber: “Around the Kitchen Table” Harriet Beecher Stowe House | Walnut Hills. 513-751-0651. stowehousecincy.org March 6, 7 p.m. Discussion: “The Grimke Women Speak Out” (Walnut Hills Branch Library) March 17, 4 p.m. Discussion: “Catharine Beecher: The Complexity of Gender in 19th Century America” (First Unitarian Church, Avondale) Joseph-Beth Booksellers | Rookwood Commons, Norwood.

513-396-8960. josephbeth.com March 2, 7 p.m. Discussion: Sheila Williams “No Better Time” March 5, 7 p.m. Discussion: Christen Randall “The No-Girlfriend Rule” March 20, 7 p.m. Discussion: Tarryn Fisher “Good Half Gone”

Music 4-Way Quartet | All Saints Episcopal, Pleasant Ridge. 4-wayquartet.com March 17, 5 p.m. Spring Concert ARCO | Price Hill. arcocincinnati.org March 2, 6 p.m. Women Helping Women: A Celebration of Women in Music Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas | St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Terrace Park.

513-831-2052. bachensemble.org March 2, 7 p.m. Organ Dedication and Recital - Nathan Laube, organ March 3, 5 p.m. Organ Dedication and Recital - Nathan Laube, organ March 24, 5 p.m. Bach Vespers for Palm Sunday Blue Ash Montgomery Symphony Orchestra | St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Montgomery. 513-549-2197. bamso.org

Movers & Makers

The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra celebrates big bands of the ’70s and ’80s with music from Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Don Ellis, Rob McConnell and Toshiko Akiyoshi. March 21, 7 p.m., at The Redmoor.

March 17, 7 p.m. Young Artist Concerto Competition Concert Bogart’s | Short Vine, Corryville. bogarts.com March 2, 8 p.m. Svdden Death March 5, 7 p.m. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox March 8, 7 p.m. Loveless March 9, 6:30 p.m. Sammy Rae & The Friends March 16, 8 p.m. The Psychology of Serial Killers March 19, 6 p.m. Alestorm March 20, 6:30 p.m. Grouplove March 22, 8 p.m. Offset March 23, 7 p.m. Joe Pera March 27, 6:30 p.m. Mom Jeans March 28, 7 p.m. Less Than Jake March 30, 6 p.m. Twiztid Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com March 2, 8 p.m. Russell Dickerson March 9, 7:30 p.m. Bailey Zimmerman, Josh Ross March 10, 8 p.m. Chappell Roan March 23, 8 p.m. The Classic Rock Show March 24, 6:30 p.m. One Hallelujah March 27, 7:30 p.m. Excision Bromwell’s Harth Room | Downtown. bromwellshearthroom.com/music Wednesday-Saturday evening. Live jazz Butler Philharmonic | Hamilton.

513-844-5151. butlerphil.org March 2, 7:30 p.m. “Mendelssohn Mania” (Sorg Opera House, Middletown) Caffe Vivace | Walnut Hills.

513-601-9897. caffevivace.com Most evenings, live jazz performances

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption | Covington. 859-431-2060. cathedralconcertseries.org March 17, 3 p.m. Terry McCandless: J.S. Bach’s 339th Birthday Chamber Music Cincinnati | 513-342-6870. cincychamber.org March 10, 4 p.m. Imani Winds (New Prospect Baptist Church, Roselawn) March 12, 7:30 p.m. Imani Winds (Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine) Chamber Music Yellow Springs | First Presbyterian Church, Yellow Springs.

937-374-8800. cmys.org March 10, 4 p.m. PubliQuartet Christ Church Cathedral | Downtown.

513-621-1817. cincinnaticathedral.com March 3, 4:30 p.m. Choral Evensong w/ Brenda Portman, organ Tuesdays, 12:10 p.m. Music Live@Lunch (Christ Church Chapel): March 5. Southbank Quartet March 12. Wild Carrot March 19. Moyen Age March 26. Heri et hodie Women’s ensemble Christ Church Glendale | Glendale.

513-771-1544. christchurchglendale.org March 3, 4 p.m. A Service of Choral Evensong March 7, 12:05 p.m. Mac Wood, baritone - Schumann’s “Dichterliebe” Cincinnati Arts Association | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown.

513-621-2787. cincinnatiarts.org March 9, 7 p.m. Activities Beyond the Classroom: Cin. Public Schools International Jazz Festival

ARTS/CULTURE

C

M

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CM

MY

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CMY

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Whitfield Lovell: Passages March 1–May 26, 2024 | Ticketed. Free for members.

Whitfield Lovell: Passages is organized by the American Federation of Arts in collaboration with Whitfield Lovell. Major support for the national tour and exhibition catalogue are provided by National Endowment for the Arts and the Terra Foundation for American Art.

In Cincinnati, this exhibition is financially assisted by the Patricia Kisker Foundation.

Whitfield Lovell (American), Because I Wanna Fly, 2021, conté on wood with attached found objects, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund, by exchange, 2022.14

Movers & Makers

MARCH 2024

13

ARTS/CULTURE | The List Cincinnati Civic Orchestra | Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church, Liberty Twp. 513-861-9978. cincinnaticivicorchestra.org March 3, 3 p.m. Winter Concert Cincinnati Community Orchestra | Church of the Savior United Methodist, Montgomery, 513-317-0300. cincinnaticommunityorchestra.org March 2, 7:30 p.m. “The Heavens Sing” Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra | 513-280-8181. cincinnatijazz.org March 21, 7 p.m. Big Band Series: Buddy, Woody + Maynard: Big Band Legends of the ’70s + ’80s (The Redmoor) March 10, 2 p.m. Jazz@First Series: Cecilia: The Music of Paul Simon (First Unitarian Church) Cincinnati Sound Chorus | Valley Temple, Wyoming. 513-554-2648. cincinnatisound.org March 11, 7:30 p.m. Friends and Family Concert Cincinnati Symphony & Pops | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. cincinnatisymphony.org

March 1-2. (CSO Proof) “From the Canyons to the Stars” March 8-10. (CSO) “Springs of Copland & Schumann” Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Conrad Tao, piano March 15-17. (Pops) “The Doo Wop Project” March 21, 7:30 p.m. (Winstead Chamber Series) Music of Gipps, Brahms and Tchaikovsky March 23-24. (CSO) “Heroic Strauss & Melodic Mozart” Sir Mark Elder, conductor; Pavel Kolesnikov, piano March 26, 7:30 p.m. (Pops) Ben Rector & Cody Fry; Jason Seber, conductor March 29-30. (CSO) “The Inextinguishable” Ryan Bancroft, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra | Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. cincinnatisymphony.org/csyo March 3, 7 p.m. (Philharmonic Orch.)

“Annual Side by Side” Cincinnati Youth Choir | Corbett Auditorium, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. cincinnatichoir.org March 10, 5 p.m. “Keepers of Dreams”

The 2024

Oscar-Nominated Short Films Documentary Animation Live Action Febr uar y 16 – March 9 Four Consecutive Weekends The Garfield Theatre 719 Race Street

Classical Revolution | The Loon, Northside. classicalrevolutioncincinnati.com March 10, 7:30 p.m. Chamber music in casual bar setting Clifton Cultural Arts Center | 513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org March 21, 4:30 p.m. TBA (U-Square) March 22, 4:30 p.m. Daven Roberson and Friends (Short Vine Square) March 28, 4:30 p.m. Ben Levin (U-Square) March 29, 4:30 p.m. Muwosi (Short Vine Square) College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu March 3, 3 p.m. Gallicantus and CCM Singing Fellows: “The Word Unspoken” (St. Peter in Chains) March 5, 7:30 p.m. Concert Orchestra: Jewish Music Festival Concert (Corbett Auditorium) March 6, 7:30 p.m. Wind Ensemble: “Let’s Dance!” (Corbett Auditorium) March 6, 7:30 p.m. Chamber Choir & Chorale: “In Praise Of Harmony” (St. Peter in Chains) March 8, 7:30 p.m. Wind Symphony & Youth Wind Ensemble: “Of Our New Day Begun” (Corbett Auditorium) March 20, 7:30 p.m. Composition Series: “Sonic Explorations” (Cohen Studio Theater) March 24, 2 p.m. Faculty Artist Series: Dror Biran Studio Recital (Werner Recital Hall) March 24, 4 p.m. Wind Ensembles: “Prism” (Corbett Auditorium) March 26, 7:30 p.m. Ariel Quartet: “Best of Brahms” (Werner Recital Hall) March 27, 7:30 p.m. UC Choruses Homecoming Concert (Corbett Auditorium) March 29, 7:30 p.m. Philharmonia: “¡Si, Se Habla Español!” (Corbett Auditorium) Collegium Cincinnati | Christ Church Cathedral, downtown. collegiumcincinnati.org March 24, 3 p.m. “A Lenten Prism” Concert:nova | Hebrew Union College. concertnova.com March 12, 7:30 p.m. Jewish Music and Culture Festival, Dayton Philharmonic | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonperformingarts.org March 8-9, 7:30 p.m. “Brahms: A German Requiem” March 23, 7:30 p.m. “The Celtic Tenors”

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859.957.FILM

MARCH 2024

Movers & Makers

DownTowne Listening Room | Memorie Makers Cafe & Cupcakery, Florence. downtownelisteningroom.com March 16, 7:30 p.m. Brittany Gillstrap & Taylor Henry & Sami Riggs Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org March 16, 7:30 p.m. Jazz & Cabaret: A Night of Monk & Mingus Ghost Baby | Over-the-Rhine. ghost-baby.com Most evenings, live performances Jewish Music & Culture Festival | cincinnatiartsandculturalexchange.org/ concerts/jewish-music-festival March 3, 1:30 p.m. Samantha Stinson: Vocal Chamber Music Lecture Recital (First Lutheran Church, Over-the-Rhine) March 5, 7:30 p.m. CCM Concert Orchestra: Jewish Folk and Poems (Corbett Auditorium, CCM, University of Cincinnati) March 7, 7:30 p.m. Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra: Music from Auschwitz (Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village) March 12, 7:30 p.m. concert:nova: Jewish Chamber Music (Mayerson Hall Auditorium, Hebrew Union College, Clifton) March 14, 7:30 p.m. NKU Choir: Yiddish Music (Plum Street Temple, downtown) March 17, 3 p.m. Seven Hills Symphony: Marc Lavry 120th Anniversary (Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village) March 19, 7:30 p.m. Danqi Zeng, violin and Benjamin Gittens, piano (Scheuer Chapel, Hebrew Union College, Clifton) March 21, 7:30 p.m. XU Choirs: Choir Palooza (Bellarmine Chapel, Xavier University) March 26, 7 & 9 p.m. Jews on Broadway Cabaret (Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine) Kentucky Symphony Orchestra | Greaves Concert Hall, Northern Kentucky University) 859-431-6216. kyso.org March 16, 7:30 p.m. “Swan Songs” Lakeside Music Concert Series | Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Lakeside Park. lakesidechurch.org March 16, 3 p.m. “Blessed are they” Linton Chamber Music | 513-381-6868. lintonmusic.org March 3, 4 p.m. Debut of the Rosamunde Quartet (First Unitarian Church) March 4, 7:30 p.m. Encore of previous (Congregation Beth Adam)

ARTS/CULTURE | The List Grammy-winning Vocal Arts Ensemble music director Craig Hella Johnson conducts one of choral music’s greatest masterpieces, March 9 & 10 at Christ Church Cathedral – J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor.

Linton Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions | 513-381-6868. lintonmusic.org/pbj ◆ “It’s A String Thing”: March 2, 10:30 a.m. (Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Kenwood) March 9, 10:30 a.m. (Sycamore Presbyterian Church, Symmes Twp.) ◆ Music With Madcap: Peter and the Wolf: March 21, 5:30 p.m. (John P. Parker Elementary School, Madisonville) March 23, 10:30 a.m. (Union Presbyterian Church, Union) March 30, 10:30 a.m. (Lindner Annex, Kennedy Heights Arts Center) Longworth-Anderson Series | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. longworth-andersonseries.com March 10, 8 p.m. Josh Ritter March 20, 8 p.m. Rhiannon Giddens

Matinee Musicale | Memorial Hall, Overthe-Rhine. matineemusicalecincinnati.org March 3, 3 p.m. Yun Zeng, French horn May Festival | Music Hall Ballroom, Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-3300. mayfestival.com March 23, noon-5 p.m. Bob’s Big Sing: A May Festival Reunion MegaCorp Pavilion at Ovation | Newport. promowestlive.com March 19, 6:30 p.m. KK’s Priest Memorial Hall | Over-the-Rhine.

513-977-8838. memorialhallotr.com March 4, 7 p.m. Carmon DeLeone Trio March 5, 8 p.m. Ladysmith Black Mambazo

March 6, 8 p.m. Socks in the Frying Pan & Enter The Haggis March 11, 7 p.m. Chris Comer Trio March 18, 7 p.m. Brandon Coleman Quartet March 19, 8 p.m. Sierra Hull March 21, 8 p.m. Brad Mehldau March 24, 8 p.m. Ambrosia

Miami University Regionals | Wilks Conference Center, Hamilton. miamioh.edu/regionals March 8, 7 p.m. The Mudlick 5

Miami University | Hall Auditorium, Oxford.

513-529-3200. miamioh.edu/music March 1, 7:30 p.m. Guest Recital: Joo Won Park (Center for Performing Arts) March 6, 7:30 p.m. Wind Ensemble March 9, 7:30 p.m. Symphony Orchestra March 12, 7:30 p.m. All Choirs Concert: Remembering Freedom Summer ‘64 March 14, 7:30 p.m. Guest Recital: Yevgeny Yontov, piano (Center for Performing Arts) March 20, 7:30 p.m. Symphony Band

MYCincinnati | Price Hill. 513-251-3800 x106. mycincinnati.org March 13-14, 6 p.m. Student Concert & Potluck

Miami University Performing Arts Series | Hall Auditorium, Oxford.

513-529-3200. miamioh.edu March 1, 7:30 p.m. Celtic Angels Ireland

Northern Kentucky University | Greaves Concert Hall, Highland Heights.

859-572-5464. music.nku.edu March 26, 7 p.m. Keyboard Area Recital March 30, 7 p.m. Guest Artist: Elisabeth Plank, harp

Musica Sacra | Our Lady of the Visitation, Mack. 513-385-5583. musica-sacra.org March 17, 3 p.m. Spring Concert

New Downbeat | Rohs Street Cafe, Clifton Heights. newdownbeat.com March 8, 7 p.m. International Women’s Day Concert Northern Kentucky Community Chorus | Lakeside Presbyterian, Lakeside Park. nkychorus.org March 16, 3 p.m. “Blessed Are They”

Ludlow Garage | Clifton. ludlowgaragecincinnati.com March 1, 7:30 p.m. The Steel Wheels March 2, 7:30 p.m. Brian Simpson, Jackiem Joyner & Steve Oliver March 7, 7:30 p.m. Zach Nugent March 8, 7:30 p.m. Ron Pope March 9, 7:30 p.m. The Ark Band March 13, 7:30 p.m. The Screaming Orphans March 14, 7:30 p.m. Green Road March 15, 7:30 p.m. Switch March 16, 7:30 p.m. Emmaline March 21, 7:30 p.m. Tigran Hamasyan March 22, 7:30 p.m. Joshua Radin March 23, noon. The Rock and Roll Playhouse March 28, 7:30 p.m. Brandy Clark March 29, 7:30 p.m. Jesus Jones Madison Theater | Covington.

859-491-2444. madisontheater.com March 2, 7:30 p.m. Molly Hatchet March 7, 8 p.m. Mike Mains and the Branches March 8, 8 p.m. Jimmie Allen March 9, 8 p.m. Juelz Santana March 17, 6 p.m. Dopapod March 26, 7 p.m. Get the Led Out March 28, 8 p.m. Bumpin Uglies • Too Many Zooz March 30, 8 p.m. Spafford Movers & Makers

MARCH 2024

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ARTS/CULTURE | The List Queen City Cabaret | Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine. queencitycabaretcincy.com March 25, 7 p.m. “As Time Goes By: Love Songs of the ‘40s and ‘50s” The Redmoor | Mt. Lookout Square. theredmoor.com Most Fridays & Saturdays. Rock and jazz St. Barnabas Episcopal Church | Montgomery. st-barnabas.org March 10, 3 p.m. Cincinnati Brass Band St. Peter in Chains Cathedral | Downtown. 513-421-5354. stpeterinchainscathedral.org March 3, 7:30 p.m. Gallicantus March 27, 7:30 p.m. “The Ancient Office of Tenebrae” Schwartz’s Point | Over-the-Rhine. thepointclub.weebly.com Thursdays-Saturdays. Live Jazz Sundays. Blues, Boogie Woogie, Jazz Mashups Sorg Opera House | Middletown. sorgoperahouse.org March 8, 8 p.m. Sweet Baby James (James Taylor Tribute) March 23, 8 p.m. Here Come The Mummies Southgate House | Newport.

859-431-2201. southgatehouse.com Nightly rock, alternative blues, etc.

Summermusik / Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra | 513-723-1182. ccocincinnati.org ◆ “We Are One: Empower” Festival: March 2, 3 p.m. “Returning Citizens” (House of Joy Church, Camp Washington) March 3, 7 p.m. “History of the Spiritual” (Artsville, Madisonville) March 5, 7:30 p.m. “I Believe” (Zion Baptist Church, Avondale) SEPARATE EVENT March 24, 7 p.m. “Coffeemusik” chamber crawl and Summermusik 2024 reveal (Fort Thomas Coffee) Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org March 2, 8 p.m. Joe Bonamassa March 14, 7:30 p.m. Marc Broussard March 15, 8 p.m. The Fab Four: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute March 17, 8 p.m. “Queen Of The Night” – Whitney Houston Tribute March 22, 7:30 p.m. Black Violin 16

MARCH 2024

March 23, 7:30 p.m. JJ Grey & Mofro March 28, 8 p.m. Colin Hay TempleLive at River Front Live | East End. riverfrontlivecincy.com March 2, 7:30 p.m. Aces High March 8, 7:30 p.m. The Broken Hearts

Barry Mulholland as “Julius Caesar” gets his comeuppance at Cincy Shakes in this contemporary take on political intrigue at its most dastardly. March 1-23.

Trinity Episcopal Church | Covington.

859-431-1786. trinitycovington.org March 20, 12:15 p.m. Midday Musical Menu: James Meade, guitar Urban Artifact | Northside. artifactbeer.com Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m. Flight 88 weekly piano performances Vocal Arts Ensemble | Christ Church Cathedral, downtown. 513-381-3300. vaecinci.com March 9, 7:30 p.m. J.S Bach: Mass in B Minor, Craig Hella Johnson, conductor March 10, 3 p.m. Bach: Mass in B Minor Woodward Theater | Over-the-Rhine.

513-345-7981. woodwardtheater.com March 8, 7 p.m. Lydia Shae Xavier Music Series | Gallagher Center Theater, Xavier University. 513-745-3161. xavier.edu/musicseries March 26, 8 p.m. Julian Lage Trio Young Professionals Choral Collective | First Lutheran Church, Over-the-Rhine. 513-601-8699. ypccsing.org March 11, 7 p.m. Spring Concert

Opera Cincinnati Opera | 513-241-2742. cincinnatiopera.org March 6, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap Community Conversations: “The Beatles Phenomenon” (Woodward Theater) March 23, 2 p.m. Opera Fusion: New Works: Excerpts from “The Highlands,” with music by Carlos Simon and libretto

by Lynn Nottage and Ruby Aiyo Gerber.

(Wilks Studio, Music Hall) March 28, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap: “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio: Sneak Peek with the Creative Team” (Cincinnati Opera Warehouse) College-Conservatory of Music | Corbett Auditorium, University of Cincinnati.

513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu Feb. 29-March 2. Janáček: “The Cunning Little Vixen”

Movers & Makers

Theater/Comedy Brady Music Center | The Banks, downtown. bradymusiccenter.com March 14, 7 p.m. Anthony Jeselnik, comedian March 16, 7 p.m. Kevin Hart, comedian Broadway Across America | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown.

513-721-3344. cincinnati.broadway.com March 12-24. “Peter Pan” CenterStage Players | Arts Center at Dunham, Price Hill. centerstageplayersinc.com March 15-24. “The Ladies Foursome” Cincinnati Arts Association | Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, downtown.

513-621-2787. cincinnatiarts.org March 5, 7:30 p.m. “The Price is Right Live!”

March 8, 8 p.m. “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” Cincinnati Landmark Productions | Covedale Center, Price Hill. 513-241-6550. cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com March 14-April 7. “The Producers” Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative | Fifth Third Bank Theater, Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-621-ARTS. cincyplaywrights.org March 12, 7:30 p.m. Reece Neiderhausen: “Janitor’s Closet” Cincinnati Shakespeare Company | Over-the-Rhine. 513-381-2273. cincyshakes.com March 1-23. “Julius Caesar” Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton.

513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org March 23, 11 a.m. Madcap Puppets: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”

College-Conservatory of Music | University of Cincinnati. 513-556-4183. ccm.uc.edu March 4, 6:30 p.m. Acting Dolly Awards and Senior Showcase (Corbett Theater) March 6-8. “Transmigration” (CCM Village) March 7-9, 7 p.m. Musical Theatre Senior Showcase (Corbett Theater) March 28-30. “Once On This Island” (Corbett Theater) ComedySportz Cincinnati | Madcap Education Center and Clifton Comedy Theatre. cszcincinnati.com Fridays, 8 p.m. & Sundays, 2 p.m.

Short form comedy improv Dayton Live Broadway Series | Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio. daytonlive.org/series/broadway March 12-17. “Hadestown” Dayton Playhouse | Dayton, Ohio. wordpress.thedaytonplayhouse.com March 8-17. “Sense and Sensibility” Drama Workshop | Cheviot.

513-598-8303. thedramaworkshop.org March 1-17. “Becky’s New Car” Ensemble Theatre | Over-the-Rhine.

513-421-3555. ensemblecincinnati.org Thru March 10. “How I Learned What I Learned” Falcon Theatre | Newport.

513-479-6783. falcontheater.net March 15-30. “Breaking The Code” Fitton Center | Hamilton.

513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org March 8, 7:30 p.m. Lexington Children’s Theatre: “Keeping Mr. Lincoln”

ARTS/CULTURE | The List Footlighters | Stained Glass Theatre, Newport. 859-291-7464. footlighters.org Thru March 3. “Murder on the Orient Express”

MegaCorp Pavilion at Ovation | Newport. promowestlive.com March 25, 7 p.m. Bianca Del Rio, comedian

The Ghostlight Stage Company | ARCO, Price Hill. theghostlightstageco.com March 4, 7 p.m. Shining a Light Workshop & Lecture Series: “Making the Arts Accessible”

Miami University | Center for Performing Arts, Oxford. miamioh.edu/theatre March 13-17. “Antigone”

Hard Rock Casino | Downtown. hardrockcasinocincinnati.com March 2, 8 & 10 p.m. Hannah Berner, comedian March 23, 8 p.m. Nikki Glaser, comedian March 29-30, 8 p.m. Chippendales Heritage Bank Center | Downtown. heritagebankcenter.com March 7-10. Disney on Ice: “Magic In The Stars” Human Race Theatre | Dayton, Ohio. humanracetheatre.org Thru March 10. “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself)”

Middletown Lyric Theatre | Finkelman Auditorium, Middletown.

513-425-7140. middletownlyric.org March 9-16. “Maytag Virgin” Northern Kentucky University | The Carnegie, Covington. 859-572-5464. theatre.nku.edu March 15-23. “Amélie: The Musical” Oxford Community Arts Center | Oxford. 513-524-8506. oxarts.org March 15, 7 p.m. Lexington Children’s Theatre: “Cows Don’t Fly” March 23, 7:30 p.m. Sarah Hagen, comedian

Playhouse in the Park | Mt. Adams.

513-421-3888. cincyplay.com Thru March 3. “Dracula” (Rouse Theatre) March 2-April 7. “Stew” (Rosenthal Shelterhouse Theatre) School for Creative & Performing Arts | Over-the-Rhine. 513-363-8100. scpa. cps-k12.org March 15-16. “The Play That Goes Wrong” Taft Theatre | Downtown. tafttheatre.org March 1, 7 p.m. Nate Jackson March 8, 7:30 p.m. Disney Princess: The Concert March 10, 3 p.m. “When A Woman’s Fed Up” Patrice Lovely Village Players | Ft. Thomas.

859-392-0500. villageplayers.org Thru March 2. “Art” Xavier University | Gallagher Theater. 513-745-3939. xavier.edu/theatre-program March 22-24. “The Prom”

Visual Art 21c Museum Hotel | Downtown. 513-578-6600. 21cmuseumhotels.com/cincinnati Thru September. “The SuperNatural” Art Academy of Cincinnati | Over-theRhine. 513-562-6262. artacademy.edu Thru March 1. AAC Faculty Exhibition 2024 March 18-April 26. Group Thesis Exhibitions Art Beyond Boundaries | Over-theRhine. 513-421-8726. artbeyondboundaries.com Thru March. “17 Almost Legal” Art on Vine | Rhinegeist Brewery, Over-the-Rhine. artonvinecincy.com March 17, noon-6 p.m. Local Madness Arts Alliance | Building B, Sinclair College, Mason. 513-309-8585. the-arts-alliance.org Thru March 30. “Canvas Conversations: A Fusion of Styles by Deepa Agarwal”

Improv Cincinnati | Clifton Performance Theatre, Clifton. improvcincinnati.com Most Friday & Saturday evenings.

Weekly comedy shows Know Theatre | Over-the-Rhine.

513-300-5669. knowtheatre.com Thru March 3. “Kairos,” by Lisa Sanayedring March 11 & 25, 7:30 p.m. Serials!

14 Thunderdome La Comedia Dinner Theatre | Springboro. 800-677-9505. lacomedia.com Thru March 24. “Guys and Dolls” March 28-May 5. “West Side Story” Loveland Stage Company | Loveland.

513-443-4572. lovelandstagecompany.org March 1-17. “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” Mariemont Players | Mariemont.

513-684-1236. mariemontplayers.com March 7-24. “Deathtrap” Mason Community Players | Mason Community Playhouse. 513-398-7804. masonplayers.org Thru March 2. “Proof”

LECTURE AND VISITING ARTIST SERIES

Roger Ross Williams Thursday, March 21, 2024, 6pm National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Lecture Is Free and Open to the Public VISIT US TODAY AT FOTOFOCUS.ORG

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ARTS/CULTURE | The List ArtWorks | V² Gallery, Walnut Hills.

513-333-0388. artworkscincinnati.org Thru March 14. “Crafting Conversation: Art as Protest” March 29-May 9. “Sawdust” Avant-Garde Art & Craft Shows | RSVP Event Center, Loveland.

440-227-8794. avantgardeshows.com March 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Spring Show The Barn | Mariemont.

513-272-3700. artatthebarn.org March 2-24. “Fresh Paint” Reception: March 2, 2-5 p.m.

Cincinnati Art Galleries | Downtown.

513-381-2128. cincyart.com Thru March 23. A Selection of Recently Acquired Paintings • Charles Townsend: “Queen City Scenes” Cincinnati Art Museum | Eden Park. 513-721-2787. cincinnatiartmuseum.org Thru April 7. “Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass” Thru June 30. Modern and Contemporary Ceramics

March 1-May 26. “Whitfield Lovell: Passages” March 29, 5-9 p.m. Art After Dark Clifton Cultural Arts Center | Clifton.

513-497-2860. cliftonculturalarts.org March 9-29. Erin Smith Glenn: “HAIRitage” Reception: March 9, 6-8 p.m.

Contemporary Arts Center |Downtown.

513-345-8400. contemporaryartscenter.org Thru April 14. Tai Shani: “The politics of emancipation through a female lens” The Contemporary Dayton | Dayton, Ohio. 937-224-3822. codayton.org Thru April 5. 30th Open Members Show DAAP Galleries | University of Cincinnati.

513-556-2839. daap.uc.edu Thru March 31. “Condemned Building”/ Architectural Drawings (Meyers Gallery) Thru April 4. Faculty Showcase (Reed Gallery) Dayton Art Institute | Dayton, Ohio.

937-223-4278. daytonartinstitute.org Thru April 28. “James Pate, TechnoCubism: The Art of Line Painting”

Thru May 26. “Telling Stories: World Literature in Art” Thru May 12. “The Artistic Life of Aka Pereyma”

Iris BookCafe and Gallery | Over-the-Rhine. 513-260-8434. irisbookcafeotr.com Stu Levy

Dearborn Highlands Arts Council | Lawrenceburg. 812-539-4251. dearbornhighlandsarts.org March 1-April 21. Art by Dearborn County students

Joseph Clark Gallery Arts of Africa | Northside. 513-351-8111. josephclarkgallery.com Arts and crafts of Africa

Fitton Center | Hamilton. 513-863-8873. fittoncenter.org Thru April 6. “Double Take” FotoFocus | National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, The Banks. fotofocus.org March 21, 6 p.m. 2024 Spring Lecture: Roger Ross Williams Indian Hill Gallery | Indian Hill.

513-984-6024. indianhillgallery.com March 8-Aug. 10. “Delicate Ecologies,” paintings by Kelley Booze, Katherine Colborn and Samantha Haring. Reception: March 8, 6-9 p.m.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center | Kennedy Heights. 513-631-4278. kennedyarts.org Thru March 16. “Resilience Through Clay: Community Exhibition with Vibrancy Fellow Erika NJ Allen” (Kennedy Gallery) Thru April 13. “Déjà Vu: Creativity Repeats Itself” (Lindner Gallery) Lloyd Library and Museum | Downtown. 513-721-3707. lloydlibrary.org Thru April 20. “Flora Mania” Manifest Gallery | East Walnut Hills.

513-861-3638. manifestgallery.org March 8-April 5. “Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana” regional • “In Search of Blue” art about or featuring the color blue. Reception: March 8, 6-9 p.m.

Miami University/Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum | Oxford. 513-5292232. miamioh.edu/cca/art-museum Thru June 8. “Minohsaya: Painted Robes of the Myaamia and Peoria” • “Landscape in Art: An Art & Architecture History Capstone Exhibition” • “The World In Which We Live: The Art of Environmental Awareness”

The path to racial equity started with the Underground Railroad.

Middletown Arts Center | Middletown. 513-424-2417. middletownartscenter.com March 5-April 23. Nate Flanagan. Reception: March 15, 6-8 p.m.

March 15-April 18. Brian Mathus: “Figurative Paintings” Reception: March 15, 6-8 p.m.

Their stories inspire our ongoing journey.

Northern Kentucky University | Highland Heights. 859-572-5148. nku.edu/gallery Thru March 14. Juried Student Exhibition. Reception: March 14, 5-7 p.m.

Pendleton Art Center | Pendleton.

513-421-4339. pendletonartcenter.com March 29, 5-9 p.m., open studios

freedomcenter.org

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Movers & Makers

Queen City Clay | Norwood. queencityclay.com March 1-April 12. Annual K-12 Show

ARTS/CULTURE | The List Weavers Guild of Greater Cincinnati | 4870 Gray Road, Winton Hills. weaversguildcincinnati.org March 16 & 23, noon-3 p.m. Cynthia Lockhart: “Fibercations that Sing”

The Weston Works Art Challenge upcycling event is back – with repurposed past Weston Art Gallery marketing materials artfully fashioned into new art.

Opening March 9.

Rosewood Arts Centre | Rosewood Gallery, Kettering.

937-296-0294. playkettering.org Thru March 1. Annual Dayton Area Works on Paper Juried Exhibition • Paper 2024: Staff Picks from Works on Paper March 11-April 13. Reni Gower: “GEOmatrix: The Perfect Proof V” • Eli Kessler: “Structural Deviation” Ruth’s Parkside Café | Northside.

513-542-7884. ruthscafe.com Current exhibition. Robert Seago and Stephen Albert Sharonville Cultural Arts Center | Sharonville. 513-554-1014. sharonvilleculturalarts.org March 1-23. Karen Adams Skirball Museum | Hebrew Union College, Clifton. csm.huc.edu Thru June. Modern Israeli art, Mark Podwal prints and recent gifts Solway Gallery | West End. 513-621-0069. solwaygallery.com Thru April 26. John E. Dowell: Paintings

and Aquatints • Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson: “Works from the 1980s, and the Esther and Alan Saks Collection” Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery | Mount St. Joseph University, Delhi. msj.edu March 3-April 5. Retrospective: Craig Lloyd, professor emeritus. Reception: March 27, 4-6:30 p.m.

Summit Hotel | Madisonville.

513-527-9900. thesummithotel.com Thru May 18. “Circles, Squiggles and Lines”

University of Cincinnati Clermont College | Park National Bank Art Gallery, Batavia. 513-558-2787. ucclermont.edu Thru March 22. Christina Wald: “My Sketching Obsession” Visionaries & Voices | Northside.

513-861-4333. visionariesandvoices.com Thru March 22. “For Sentimental Reasons” Wave Pool Gallery and The Welcome Project | Camp Washington. wavepoolgallery.org Thru March 2. “Story Quilts”

Weston Art Gallery | Aronoff Center, downtown. 513-977-4165. cincinnatiarts.org/weston-art-gallery Thru March 3. Brianna Gluszak: “Late Bloomer” • Aaron Peters: “We Felt Everything Without” • Byproduct Studios (Molly Jo Burke and Nathan Gorgen): Perceptions of a Material’s Purpose March 5-24. “Canstruction®” Reception: March 8, 5-7 p.m.

March 9-24. Weston Works Art Challenge. Reception: March 9, 3-5 p.m.

Xavier University Art Gallery | A. B. Cohen Center. xavier.edu/art-department Thru March 8. Solo Thesis Exhibition: Jenna Wood, fiber arts and sculpture March 15-April 5. Haley Aho, graphic design • Mary E. Baker, graphic design • Kaitlyn Blaha, graphic design • Alex Fischer, graphic design • Donna Ronyak, sculpture. Reception: March 15, 5-7 p.m. 

Taft Museum of Art | Lytle Park, downtown. 513-241-0343. taftmuseum.org Thru June 16. “Trading Places: The Rijksmuseum Lends Rare Painting to the Taft Museum of Art” Thru May 19. “African Modernism in America” Thru May 19. “A Breath of Fresh Air: Nature Inspires Rarely Seen Works from the Taft Collection” Thru March 30. “Artists Reaching Classrooms (ARC): Wonder” (Annex Gallery, Pendleton)

Get listed Arts/Culture listings are free.

Send event info to: editor@moversmakers.org Visit moversmakers.org for more

Click ARTS CALENDAR for A/C listings Click SUBSCRIBE to sign up for our Wednesday email which includeds Culture FIX – a rundown of our top picks of things to do each week.

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Movers & Makers

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The Datebook DATEBOOK

With a Spotlight on the Movers and Makers behind Greater Cincinnati’s Fundraisers, Friend-Raisers and Community Events

MARCH 5-6, TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY

MARCH 9, SATURDAY

Council on Aging, Forum on Aging | 7:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Breakfast, round table, networking, workshops, buffet lunch and keynotes. One-day: $125; two-day: $195; annual meeting and awards: $30 ¼help4seniors.org/news-events

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Knockout Tournament | 9 a.m-12:30 p.m. Cincinnati State Arena. Breakfast, lunch, bracketed knockout games and prizes. Free. ¼cycyouth.org/knockout

MARCH 5, TUESDAY Easterseals Redwood, Booze Breakfast | 8:30-10:30 a.m. PeeWee’s Place, Cresent Springs. Drop off a bottle of spirit in exchange for breakfast.

All bottles will be used for raffles and auctions during the May 17 fundraiser.

Those who donate receive a $10 gift certificate for breakfast at PeeWee’s Place. ¼eastersealsredwood.org MARCH 7-9, THURSDAY-SATURDAY Cincinnati International Wine Festival | Winery dinner series on Thursday. Grand tastings on Friday and Saturday. Charity auction and luncheon on Saturday. Proceeds benefit a variety of nonprofits. ¼winefestival.com MARCH 7, THURSDAY

The Booze Breakfast at PeeWee’s Place on March 5 invites you to exchange a bottle of spirits for breakfast as a gift-gathering event for Easterseals Redwood’s upcoming gala. Pictured: Easterseals Redwood CEO Pam Green with 2024 gala chair Hank Heidrich.

The Cure Starts Now, Once in a Lifetime Gala | 5:30-10:30 p.m. Duke Energy Convention Center. Three-course meal, open bar, silent/live auctions and entertainment. Tickets: $90. ¼thecurestartsnow.org Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, 27th Anniversary Gala Speakeasy | 6 p.m. Newport Syndicate. Cocktails, dinner, music, live/silent auctions and basket raffles.

Tickets start at $100; limited VIP tables available. ¼littlebrotherscincinnati.org MARCH 14, THURSDAY Clovernook Center, Vision Over Sight | 5 p.m. Nicola’s Ristorante. Fivecourse dinner and awards ceremony.

VIP preview event. Patron tickets: $250; general admission: $150. ¼clovernook.org

Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly will honor its founders and leaders for the last 27 years, Yogi Wess and Randy Yauss, on March 9 at the 27th anniversary gala at the Newport Syndicate.

MARCH 19, TUESDAY City Gospel Mission, Breakfast for Hope | 6:45-8:30 a.m. Sharonville Convention Center. Fellowship and food to support the JobsPlus Programs ¼citygospelmission.org MARCH 8, FRIDAY

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio, Volunteer & Donor Appreciation Celebration | 5-7 p.m. Fifth Third Bank, Fountain Square. Awards ceremony ¼pbpohio.org MARCH 20, WEDNESDAY

Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Saturday Hoops 20th Anniversary | 6-10 p.m. North by Hotel Covington.

Dinner-by-the-bite, bar and entertainment. Tickets: $125 ¼cycyouth.org Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Grand Opening Community Open House | 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Clifton Cultural Arts Center. Ribbon cutting and speeches followed by free, open-house-style sampler featuring demos, classes, performances, and opening reception for inaugural gallery show. Story, page 8. ¼cliftonculturalarts.org

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Dan Beard Council, BSA, Good Scout Award Luncheon | 10:30 a.m.1 p.m. Duke Energy Convention Center.

Honoring Paul Verst, chairman and CEO of Verst Logistics. ¼danbeard.org

Clovernook Center will honor Dr. Terry Schwartz, Dr. Richard Kerstine and Jeanette Roesner at its annual Vision Over Sight Awards Celebration at Nicola’s Ristorante on March 14.

MARCH 21, THURSDAY Meals on Wheels, Meals Madness Gala | Hard Rock Casino. Honoring DJ Hodge, division president at iHeartMedia Markets Group. NCAA games on the screens, sports betting kiosks and live music. ¼muchmorethanameal.org/madness

Movers & Makers

Paul Verst, president and CEO of Verst Logistics, is the 2024 Good Scout Award honoree at the Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America luncheon on March 20 at Duke Energy Convention Center.

DATEBOOK

Jenn White, host of “1A,” aired daily on local NPR station WVXU, will lead a conversation on truth in journalism on March 22 at Memorial Hall, presented by the Woman’s City Club of Greater Cincinnati.

An industrial chic event space in the heart of Over-The-Rhine.

Meetings • Celebrations • Community Events 6,000 sq. feet • Accommodates 334 For more info, contact us at 513-562-8763 or visit our website at The “Day-Before-The-Eclipse Edition” of Caracole’s Cincinnati AIDS Walk + Run 5K/10K takes its route through Spring Grove Cemetery on April 7 at 9 a.m.

MARCH 22, FRIDAY

APRIL 10, WEDNESDAY

Woman’s City Club, National Speaker Forum and Fundraiser | 7-9 p.m.

Memorial Hall. Presentation on “Truth in Journalism” by Jenn White, host of 1A on NPR, followed by VIP reception. ¼womanscityclub.org

Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio, 30th Annual Glorifying the Lions | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cintas Center. 2024 honorees: Karen Bankston, Calvin D. Buford, Michael Fisher, Delores Hargrove-Young, J. Phillip Holloman and John Pepper. ¼ulgso.org/lions

APRIL 6, SATURDAY Caracole, AIDS Walk Pre-Race Spaghetti Dinner | 5 p.m. Hannaford Hall, Calvary Episcopal Church.

Spaghetti dinner open to community, not just race participants. $10/adult; $6/19 and younger. ¼secure.qgiv.com/event/2024aidswalk

artacademy.edu/SITE1212/

APRIL 13, SATURDAY Karen Wellington Foundation, 17th Annual Karen’s Gift | 7-11 p.m. Hard Rock Casino. Open bar, food and music by Sly-Band. Tickets: $175. ¼karenwellingtonfoundation.org

APRIL 7, SUNDAY Caracole, AIDS Walk + 5K/10K | 9 a.m. Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum.

Opening ceremony, walk or run 5K or run 10K. Registration: $30/adult; $20/19 and younger. Registration includes event T-shirt (while supplies last). Prices increase day of the event. ¼secure.qgiv.com/event/2024aidswalk

Junior League of Cincinnati, A Night in Monte Carlo | 7-11 p.m.

Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance. Gaming night featuring blackjack, Texas Hold ’em and craps, with light bites and beverages and silent auction. ¼jlcincinnati.org/springfundraiser

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DATEBOOK

Tracey Artis, CEO, I Hear Music Bridgit Chayt, executive vice president, Fifth Third Bank Chara Fisher Jackson, CEO, Cincinnati Preschool Promise Christie Kuhns, president and CEO, Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio Kimm M. Lauterbach, president and CEO, REDI Cincinnati Jill Miller, president and CEO, Bethesda Inc./bi3 Alicia Reece, president, Hamilton County Commission Kristen Schlotman, executive director, Film Cincinnati Alicia Townsend, vice president and regional community development manager, U.S. Bank – East Region Kelly Wittich, senior vice president, UBS Financial Services

YWCA Greater Cincinnati will honor 10 women at the annual Career Women of Achievement Luncheon and after-party at Hard Rock Casino on May 8. Keynote speaker is Yvette R. Simpson.

APRIL 13, SATURDAY (CONT.)

APRIL 25, THURSDAY

Lighthouse, Beacon of Light | 20th Century Theater, Oakley. 6-10 p.m. 2024 Humanitarian Award recipients: Yvette Simpson and Dr. Jeannette Taylor. Custom food stations, open bar, dessert bites and silent auction. Event chairs: Peter Barrett and Michelle Barrett. Valet parking.

Smart casual attire. ¼lys.org

The Nuxhall Foundation, Leading Ladies Night Out | 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Topgolf, West Chester. Dinner, drinks, gameplay, silent auction, live auction and celebrity appearances. Tickets: $150; $900 for bay of 6 attendees. ¼nuxhallmiracleleague.org/ladiesnight

UpSpring, Benefit Bash | 6 p.m. Great American Ball Park. Open bar, dinner and silent/live auction. Tickets: $100. ¼upspring.org/benefitbash

Leadership Council for Nonprofits, Securing the Future Conference | 7:30 a.m. Cintas Center. Half-day nonprofit conference. Keynote speaker Kishshana Palmer, international speaker, trainer and coach. Breakout sessions, exhibitor fair and networking. Tickets: $75-$100. Sponsorships from $1,500. ¼leadershipcouncil.us

APRIL 14, SUNDAY American Lung Association, Fight for Air Climb | 8 a.m. Great American Ball Park. Designed for every type of climber, from beginners to competitive climbers.

Complimentary snack and water. ¼fightforairclimb.org/cincinnati APRIL 17, WEDNESDAY EquaSion, Compassion Through Action Dinner | 6 p.m. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Reception, dinner and program. ¼equasion.org APRIL 20, SATURDAY The Nuxhall Foundation, Opening Day Parade | 10 a.m. Sacred Heart Church/ Nuxhall Miracle League Fields. Parade and on-field ceremony. Tickets: Free. ¼nuxhallmiracleleague.org/events

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APRIL 26, FRIDAY

APRIL 27, SATURDAY DePaul Cristo Rey High School, Rey of Light Scholarship Benefit | DePaul Cristo Rey High School. Chairs: Lisa Ciccia and Tammy Silvestri. Cocktail hour, dinner, raffles, silent auction and live auction. ¼depaulcristorey.org Dragonfly, Grand Gala | 6-11 p.m.

Music Hall Ballroom. Dinner, music, entertainment, open bar, silent auction and grand raffle. Black tie optional. ¼dragonfly.org/gala Purcell Marian High School, Grand Event: Revelry in Red | Purcell Marian High School. Seated dinner,

open bar, silent auction, Praestan Award presentation, raffles and live auction. Cocktail attire, “best red” requested. ¼purcellmarian.org MAY 2, THURSDAY Green Umbrella, Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Duke Energy Convention Center. Keynote: Jacqueline Patterson, founder and executive director of Chisholm Legacy Project. Speakers, exhibitor expo, art show, breakfast, lunch and networking reception. Tickets: $175. ¼midwestsustainabilitysummit.org MAY 3-5, FRIDAY-SUNDAY Flying Pig Marathon | Races of varying lengths for diverse ages over the weekend cluminating in the full marathon Sunday morning. Proceeds benefit multiple charities. ¼flyingpigmarathon.com MAY 5, SUNDAY Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, Carryout Italian Dinner and Open House | 3-6 p.m. 5530 Colerain Ave. Learn more about LBFE’s mission and vision, meet the team, and support by purchasing a dinner. Tickets on sale in March. ¼littlebrotherscincinnati.org

MAY 7, TUESDAY Assistance League, Books & Brunch Event | 10:30 a.m. Kenwood Country Club. Local authors: Jenn Bishop, Rick Pender, Loren Long and Heather Webber. Brunch, silent auction, raffle, lottery tree and wine pull. Tickets: $95. ¼assistanceleaguecincinnati.org MAY 8, WEDNESDAY Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Partners in Action Luncheon | Noon-1 p.m. Cintas Center. Lunch and learn how the Sisters are making a difference around the globe. Tickets free; donations accepted. ¼sndohio.org YWCA Greater Cincinnati, Annual Career Women of Achievement Luncheon | 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Hard Rock Casino. Keynote: Yvette R. Simpson. Lunch, networking and afterparty. Awardees: Tracey Artis, Bridgit Chayt, Chara Fisher Jackson, Christie Kuhns, Kimm M. Lauterbach, Jill Miller, Alicia Reece, Kristen Schlotman, Alicia Townsend and Kelly Wittich. Tickets: $125. ¼ywcacareerwomen.org MAY 11, SATURDAY Young Professionals Choral Collective, Pure Imagination Gala | Cincinnati Masonic Center. Headlined by John Morris Russell. ¼ypccsing.org

DATEBOOK

NOW OUR DOORS CONNECT TO EVEN

Todd Portune Hall offers the largest banquet space in Cincinnati!

Our new Todd Portune Hall will accommodate up to 2,000 guests for large galas and banquets, while our newly expanded Convention Center can accommodate up to 5,000 guests. With our community of event partners, Delta by Marriott Hotel, our connected Hyatt Place hotel and the award winning Third Eye Brewery all just steps away, you and your guests will truly enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience.

Book before April 1, 2024 and receive a

COMPLIMENTARY EVENT DAY RENTAL for your event from 100 to 5 ,000 people.

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Get Inspired. To learn more contact us at 513.771.7744 or at sccinfo@cityofsharonville.com sharonvilleconventioncenter.com

Movers & Makers

MARCH 2024

23

DATEBOOK MAY 14, TUESDAY Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Fore Youth Golf Outing | Vineyard Golf Course. Morning and afternoon rounds, contest holes, raffles, split-thepot, swag bags, lunch and dinner followed by celebrity sports Q&A session. ¼cycyouth.org/golfouting MAY 15, WEDNESDAY OTR Chamber of Commerce, OTR Awards| 5-8 p.m. Woodward Theater.

Awards honoring top performers in OTR business community. Tickets: $55. ¼otrchamber.chambermaster.com MAY 16, THURSDAY Hearing Speech + Deaf Center, Service Award Gala | 6-9 p.m. Bell Event Centre. Honoring Dr. Roy M. Kulick, with recognition of Shining Star Isaiah Williams. Open bar, dinner, awards, auction and complimentary valet parking.

Tickets: $150. ¼hearingspeechdeaf.org MAY 17, FRIDAY Cancer Support Community, Partee for Hope | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Topgolf West Chester. Gameplay, food, drinks, contests and prizes. ¼mycancersupportcommunity.org JUNE 2, SUNDAY Holocaust & Humanity Center, 2024 Cincinnati Upstander Awards | 6-10 p.m. Union Terminal. Three-course meal,

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MARCH 2024

live music, art and awards ceremony.

Tickets: $100. ¼holocaustandhumanity.org JUNE 8, SATURDAY Cancer Support Community, Backyard Bash: Blue Ash | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CSC in Blue Ash. Free family-friendly event including fire truck, attractions, games, crafts, entertainment, food, drinks and giveaways. ¼mycancersupportcommunity.org 46th Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance, Countryside Tour | Noon. Mariemont Square. scenic tour of region, with visit to view private car collection. Event benefits juvenile programs of the Arthritis Foundation. $50 per car; Student drivers: $15. ¼ohioconcours.com 46th Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance, Hangar Party | 5-9 p.m. Executive Jet Management, Lunken Airport. Red carpet greeting, gourmet dinner by-the-bite and silent auction.

Peruse exotic cars, motorcycles and private jets. Tickets: $150. ¼ohioconcours.com JUNE 9, SUNDAY 46th Cincinnati Concours d’Elegance, Car Show and Brunch | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Ault Park. Exotic cars and motorcycles highlighting milestones of famed Italian marques, Ford Mustang and Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg classics.

Plus, VIP brunch, craft beer garden and automotive art show. Shuttle from

Movers & Makers

Fifth Third Bank operations center in Madisonville. Tickets: $45; students: $15; 12 and under: free. VIP brunch: $60. ¼ohioconcours.com JUNE 30, SUNDAY Holocaust & Humanity Center, Upstander 5K and Family Day & Volunteer Expo | 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Live music, family activities, breakfast, FC Cincinnati activations and pick-up pickleball tournament. Registration: $35. ¼holocaustandhumanity.org The Nuxhall Foundation, Annual Cruise In For Kids Car Show | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, Fairfield. Car, truck and bike show with awards, concessions, food trucks, raffle, door prizes, mini-golf and live music from Fifth Crow. Tickets: Free; $20/vehicle in show. ¼nuxhallmiracleleague.org/carshow JULY 27, SATURDAY Cancer Support Community, Backyard Bash & Car Show: Eastgate | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastgate, location TBA. Free family-friendly event including car show, games, crafts, entertainment, food, drinks and giveaways. ¼mycancersupportcommunity.org The Nuxhall Foundation, The Nuxy Bash | 7 p.m. Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, Fairfield. Celebrity softball game, concessions and fireworks show.

Tickets: Free. ¼nuxhallmiracleleague.org/events

AUG. 15, THURSDAY The Nuxhall Foundation, Annual Joe Nuxhall Memorial Golf Outing | 10 a.m. The Elks Golf Club, Hamilton.

Golfing. Tickets: $1,200/foursome, Sponsorship opportunities available. ¼nuxhallmiracleleague.org/golf 

More Datebook at MoversMakers.org Make sure your fundraiser or community event is listed at moversmakers.org/datebook Listings are free.* Send event details and print-quality photos of honorees , chairs or speakers to: editor@moversmakers.org

Stand out Consider advertising.

Contact Thom Mariner: tmariner@moversmakers.org for digital and print options. *See Page 4 for print deadlines.

Events must meet our editorial standards. Print content is chosen at the discretion of editorial staff and featured as space allows.

FOCUS ON: Senior Services

By Shauna Steigerwald

Aging in cyberspace

Older adults can adopt, benefit from newer tech

It

is difficult to say which is growing faster: the average age of our population or the rate of advancements in technology that many of us use every day. What’s certain is that with one in six people in the United States age 65 and up (per 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data), older populations and those who serve them must make use of those advancements.

To get an idea of how seniors and technology intersect in our region, we spoke with experts from five organizations serving older adults. Their consensus is that, although seniors face challenges in accessing and using technology, those advancements are already improving quality of life for those they serve – and more opportunities lie ahead.

Panelists • Jim Bowersox, chief operating officer, Life Enriching Communities • Megan Bradford, vice president of middle market and ministry, Episcopal Retirement Services • Betsy Eiserman, assistive technology and accessibility manager, Easterseals Redwood • Jai’La Nored, senior innovation designer, Council on Aging • Breanna Williams, programs manager, Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY

Seniors & tech: stereotypes vs. reality Our panelists have served seniors for varying lengths of time, but they’ve all seen significant changes in technology. In their experience, stereotypes about seniors’ lack of interest in technology still exist, but they’re mostly untrue. Sometimes it’s just a matter of showing older adults how to use tech – and how they’ ll benefit.

mostly tech adopters, and adopt and assimilate tech use in various different stages based on the generation they’re coming from. So we definitely passed the tipping point of, “Oh, older adults don’t want technology or they want to throw it away or they’re not wanting to use it.” They have already said, “We’re going to integrate this into our lives.”

Breanna Williams: We work with a wide range of demographics. Maybe some folks that are between the ages of 50 to 75, they’ve become already quite familiar with certain devices. And then you have those that are maybe 75-plus that just kind of got through life just fine without using cellphones and tablets. They might just need to be shown how that device can benefit them or improve their life.

Betsy Eiserman: In just four years, (there is a) difference between the development of technology that’s available and used with older adults.

Developers didn’t use to include individuals who are older in any development of the technology …

Afterwards, they would try to come up with a fix to meet that gap. Now we’re seeing more research and development going into “How can this work for older adults?” – which is leading to some more successful technologies … that are a little easier, more intuitive to use, simpler and don’t rely on a huge cognitive load.

Jai’La Nored: If you’re willing to show older adults how to do the thing, they will do the thing. … Sometimes it just takes building that usefulness or building that tool up to an older adult so it can be their first response. The industry coins the term “tech native versus tech adopter.” Older adults are

Nored: Tech literacy is a huge deficit that I think we’ve all felt in various spaces. The one that comes to mind is the beginning of the pandemic (with Zoom). … We experienced a lot of our caregivers trying to figure out how to navigate through that space. But tech doesn’t mean the same thing

Movers & Makers

Betsy Eiserman

Even when older adults are eager to try new technology, they may face challenges in accessing and using it, our panelists said. These range from fear of the unknown to lack of skills to safety in a realm where scams and fraud can (and do) happen. Support from organizations and/or family can be critical.

Williams: (With) fear of the unknown, once they actually get a device and they dive in and learn some of the basic skills … they learn something new and then they want to learn more. But it’s exposing them to that world in the first place, which might be totally new and make them a little bit fearful at first.

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Megan Bradford

Support is critical

Megan Bradford: The stereotype is always that “older adults don’t understand technology; they don’t want to understand technology. It’s too complicated; don’t even try.” I’ve never found that to be true … I would be hard-pressed to find a resident … really in any of our communities that doesn’t have a cellphone. And I would say probably about 75% of them have a (smartphone) of some sort.

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Jim Bowersox

Jai’La Nored

Breanna Williams

FOCUS ON: Senior Services

If you’re willing to show older adults how to do the thing, they will do the thing.

– Jai’La Nored, senior innovation designer, Council on Aging to everybody. And because tech is a tool, not everybody uses that tool the same. So one of the biggest barriers, just because we haven’t put the aging population in the forefront, is trying to catch up to everybody else with providing the tools to expand that literacy.

I would say the other barrier is the IT support that is the family member. … As much hand-holding or as many resources or as many guides as we design, at the end of the day, the daughter becomes the IT support. And so our technology is only as good as her understanding when it comes to that older adult using it.

Eiserman: Because it’s going to take multiple repetitions and patience, and it’s very easy for an older adult to become overwhelmed and then just abandon the device and say, “It is not worth it. I can’t do this.” … There have to be lots and lots of supports, and even outside of the family.

Jim Bowersox: We’ve allocated so much more of our human resources to catering to the needs of the residents as it relates to technology. We have concierge hospitality service as part of the hospitality area on each of our campuses, and they spend most of their time just helping the residents use the technology they have and expanding their knowledge.

(We also need to be) educating not only on using the technology, but also what not to do with it and getting into the cybersecurity thing and … the vulnerability of the older adults (who are) more

susceptible to those scams …

Helping the residents and their families through those situations is a really big challenge for us.

Nored: (We) deal with a lot of questions around security because, as a millennial, it doesn’t mean anything to me to put my Social Security number into my bank app to get a credit card, but to an older adult that’s like, “Why are you giving your life away?” The comfortability there is different.

Challenges exacerbated For older adults experiencing disability, those with lower incomes or those living in more rural areas, challenges can be exacerbated. These organizations have been working to address that, and they say the COVID-19 pandemic propelled progress.

Nored: If you live in some of our rural counties, even in some parts as close as Butler County or Clermont County, there are spaces where you can’t really depend on the internet. You are just now catching onto the wave of 5G …

Any person feeling the effects of poverty or location … (they) are going to have a harder time using technology.

Barbara Moran, resident since 2017 Gladys Cox, staff member since 2001

Eiserman: Because we work with individuals with intellectual disabilities, they are on limited incomes, usually just based on Social Security. So we’ve become very creative in finding funding sources through local nonprofits, charity organizations, and every state has (the) Assistive Technology Act. … We are charged with providing alternative funding sources for individuals.

Nored: Coming through the pandemic, there was a lot of funding that came about because we had to depend on technology so much. I think we can attribute, as dark as that time was, a lot of the growth and adoption and understanding of technology to that point in time. We were finally able to, as nonprofits, not just use that funding for the bare minimum of Movers & Makers

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FOCUS ON: Senior Services our mission, but we were able to go deeper with our mission and fund things like, “Oh, let me give a senior a tablet” or “Let me develop a process so that people can go out in the community and help somebody learn how to do their ‘ClickList’ so they can get their groceries or so that they can have somebody pick them up to take them to the doctor.”

At Meals on Wheels, Digital Connect provides tech support, tablets and internet access to Hamilton County residents who qualify. They also get access to online health, wellness and social programming; telehealth appointments; worship services; and tasks such as ordering groceries.

The organization is working with the Northern Kentucky Area Development District to expand the program and provide Claris Companion Tablets to home-delivered meal recipients and rural senior centers across the river.

Williams: It does track everything that is done on the tablet at a high level. So it will not capture that individual’s personal information that they put into the tablet, but it will let us know how often are those individuals using the tablets to access telehealth or to do grocery ordering or to engage in those virtual opportunities. Then it gives us that data that we can use to hopefully show future supporters or funders the benefits of providing these devices to older adults.

Easterseals Redwood has an Assistive Technology Resource Center in Fort Mitchell and will open a similar center in Walnut Hills this summer.

Eiserman: Our whole goal is to have a repertoire of technology devices that individuals can borrow without charge ... for 30 days.

We will train them how to use it. They can call every single day if they need support with how to use something before putting out the money to purchase, because these technologies are so expensive. We are community libraries; we are open to everyone. You don’t have to have an intellectual disability; you don’t have to have any disability. You can just come in and we will problem-solve and find you stuff to try.

Big strides in health monitoring Despite the challenges our panelists highlighted, technology is aiding their work and improving seniors’ quality of life and ability to live more independently. Health monitoring, in particular, has made big strides.

Bowersox: Technology has emerged fairly recently whereby there’s passive monitoring in (residences) that is not a camera, so it’s not 28

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invasive in that way. It actually runs by radar and AI, and the technology learns what the normal patterns are for the person, then interacts with their health record and … detects changes in their health … I think (it) will be part of our industry solution for tackling the labor issue, particularly on the nursing side.

We had a person who had a skin cancer issue. He had something removed from his head, and he was getting up in the middle of the night kind of messing with his wound.

Then he’d fall, because he was tired. This was all detected with the system. And so after this pattern was detected (and it happened pretty quickly), (we made) a visit (to) the independent living apartment … (He explained) what I just described, and we said, “Well, why don’t you let our clinic nurse dress your wound, then you’ll sleep and then you’ll feel better and then you won’t fall.” … Once that interaction happened, well, then all the problems stopped.

Bradford: A lot of our residents (in) our communities have pendant systems that track you. You can press your pendant and it will give us a very small area of where you’re located on the campus to come find you for help. Of course, people who live at home don’t have that luxury, but they have things like Life Alert and just the latest and greatest of Apple Watches and devices that detect a fall, they detect an accident and it automatically calls 911 for you. The more we can encourage older adults who are aging in place in the broader community that don’t have the Continuing Care Retirement Communities oversight and support to adapt some of those technologies (the better). A smart watch … can tell us your heart rate. It can tell us how much you’ve been up and moving that day, sleep patterns, lifeline, all that kind of stuff. I think that’s been huge.

Nored: Palarum is an Ohio-based company … They develop socks, and those socks have sensors that track the gait and different pressures and different pressure points, and all of that goes back to a very interesting database that tells (the wearer’s) health professionals a lot about their progression and their decline and their improvements.

Bowersox: One of our mantras is we want to help our residents live their best lives … A major cause of someone not living their best life is if they have a fall. Then if you unpack that a little bit more, it’s balance … There’s this fairly new technology that’s out there that we happen to use at our campuses as well. It’s AI-driven, and you stand in front of a camera

Think about the power … a simple tablet or a smartphone can provide someone … who’s forced to be home for a while, who just wants to maybe have a connection with someone outside of the home.

– Breanna Williams, programs manager, Meals on Wheels Southwest OH & Northern KY

and it creates an avatar … You go through these movements and it does all these things and diagnoses your vulnerability to not having good balance or falls. Then the physical therapist sees that, or the orthopedist sees that, and you can fix it.

‘Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ Beyond keeping tabs on their physical health, technology can also keep older adults connected with loved ones, particularly when they can’t be together in person. Considering our ‘Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ (described in a 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory), the impact of that connection can be significant.

Eiserman: Technology is essential for keeping the older population connected. Things that have come out of the pandemic (include) the absolute fear that older adults feel when COVID levels are up or RSV levels are up. They’re not going to leave their home as much. There’s a much stronger likelihood of social isolation, and by coming together by a tablet, social groups, they’re at least still interacting with people.

Nored: I think just the devices themselves are helping with socialization. But interesting enough, social media and older adults is not a topic that’s talked on a whole lot, but they are all over social media. I unfortunately have a TikTok addiction, and I see older adults using that as a way to build community, to share stories, to share recipes, to do all of these things.

Williams: Think about the power and what a simple tablet or a smartphone can provide someone who maybe just got discharged from the

FOCUS ON: Senior Serivces hospital, who’s forced to be home for a while, who just wants to maybe have a connection with someone outside of the home.

both Williams and Bradford said they’ve been able to serve populations they weren’t able to serve in the past.

Technology can encourage more in-person socialization for seniors. Life Enriching Communities’ online portal, created to take the place of bulletin boards and other paper announcements, is one example.

Bradford: I just love that Council on Aging and the Meals on Wheels providers can partner together to broaden the reach to older adults that need this food, that need the community.

Food brings people together.

Bowersox: (It) does a lot in terms of just communicating what’s going on around the campus. And it also allows communication between the residents – and importantly, the residents and us, LEC. And that’s pretty critical to people’s social lives, because their menus are there and all the events and programs are there … We’ve noticed over time, it’s certainly promoted greater socialization.

Access to information, resources

Another example is the Swipe ‘N Dine program. It is designed to revitalize congregate meals for older adults after COVID-19, and Nored likens it to a credit system similar to those used for college meal plans. It gives seniors the opportunity to socialize over a restaurant-quality, nutritious meal. Meals on Wheels and Deupree Meals on Wheels (ERS) provide the service, and

Bowersox said seniors and their families are increasingly learning about the services they offer via their websites, rather than just through the mail or flyers of the past.

Nored: Just by improving things on our website, we’ve been able to streamline that process of getting somebody who needs help to the answer that we can provide.

Some organizations are going even further, developing apps for those who use their services.

Just as it has for the population at large, technology offers seniors better access to information than ever before.

Williams: We’ve launched an app that allows our recipients to track their delivery in real time.

Traditionally, we offer an (eight-hour) window of delivery to all of our meal recipients … which really limits that individual on the day of their delivery … This app allows them to track in real time where their meal is, which promotes their freedom.

Bradford: (If you) have something like an Alexa or even just Siri on your Apple devices, that’s been such a game changer for our older adults. I don’t have to boot up my computer and log in and dial up and remember my password. … For anyone who is able to verbalize that or wants to learn something, having technology like a Siri or an Alexa just opens the world for folks.

Nored: We actually launched, in 2022, our own application called AddnAide … We partnered with a lot of people to bring it to life, and now we have hundreds of people who are able to go into AddnAide and find somebody who they can hire to do simple tasks in their home.

Being able to share information more readily has also helped organizations get the word out about their services more efficiently. Nored and

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FOCUS ON: Senior Services

What about AI? While we’ve discussed how artificial intelligence is already aiding health monitoring and access to information, there is room for its use to grow in the senior sector – with caveats. And don’t expect to see robots taking the place of human caregivers anytime soon.

Bradford: Initially my thought is, “Well, there’s no room for AI.” We’re caring for people. Nothing cares for a person better than another person. … We’re not going to have AI or robots or things like that anytime in the near future that will replace the physical caregiving, and frankly the emotional connection, of being with someone in person … But what can we adopt? What’s going to improve the quality of life for somebody? What’s going to open doors for them or allow them to live a little bit longer independently? … As a provider, I have to remind myself to not hear things like AI and say, “Ah, that’s not for us,” because I do think there is a place in our industry for it.

Eiserman: You’re working on an algorithmbased standardization that’s not taking any individual differences into account. So any group or any population of people who are outside of whatever is considered the average, it’s not going to be as effective or maybe as appropriate or as safe as it will be for that middle-of-the-road average.

Nored: I had the opportunity to see a humanoid robot react using AI a couple of years ago … She’s not going to be good enough to figure out and go through the root cause analysis around why the older adult’s upset

because their diet changed or those little things that really need the human touch.

Eiserman: The shortage of employees and support personnel is something that is here, and it’s probably here to stay. So if we can have a robot deliver food in a space and free up the actual people to interact with the adults and provide that good quality socialization, I’m all for it.

If we can have a robot deliver food in a space and free up the actual people to interact with the adults and provide that good quality socialization, I’m all for it.

Bowersox: We had robots in three of our campuses just as a trial running food back and forth to the kitchen while the server stayed there with the residents. And just to be blunt, it didn’t work as well as we wanted it to.

Bradford: The reality is the robots that we have access to, I don’t know if it’s our industry or what, but you still have to have somebody there to troubleshoot it. … Nothing replaces that direct interaction with that person. … It’s the vacuuming, it’s the cleaning, it’s the delivery of things. What can we make more efficient, even our own time as people who are behind desks for most or part of their days? How can we make our time more efficient so that we have time to go interact with the people that we’re serving?

Better together Throughout our discussion, the ideas of working together and learning from one another kept coming up. As organizations navigate all the technological changes sure to come, partnerships will be key.

Eiserman: You’re only as good as your list of resources. … We need to have this

– Betsy Eiserman, assistive technology and accessibility manager, Easterseals Redwood

collaboration. We need to know where to send someone or who to contact, and that way we’re just benefiting the senior population.

Bradford: None of our missions, I don’t think, are to be everything to everybody.

So we have to lean on each other. … I just think having this dialogue with like-minded individuals, but also like-minded in our organizations, is so beneficial. 

27,000 area older adults live independently at home with the help of Council on Aging’s programs, services and resources.

Learn about how we improve the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers.

www.help4seniors.org (513) 721-1025

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FOCUS ON: Senior Services

Notables in Senior Services Movers & Makers asked organizations involved in the senior services to introduce their notables to our readers, part of a regular feature highlighting people making a difference in Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit community.

Nora Dashley leads senior center and ‘Comfort Quilts’ efforts

A desire to serve brought Kim Clark to the Council on Aging nearly 30 years ago. Clark’s career in aging services began while working at a local grocery store. She ark Cl established an easy rapport m with older customers, which translated into a passion for service, a social work degree and a career at COA. Clark has held several roles at COA, most recently as director of community and business operations. She has led the development of nationally recognized programs that help thousands of older adults remain safe and independent at home. Clark is passionate about projects that improve older adults’ access to benefits programs. “Connecting older adults to these valuable benefits helps address social determinants of health, which are so important for maintaining health and independence,” she said. A graduate of the 2018-19 WE Lead program, Clark says her proudest accomplishment is her daughter, who is pursuing her own career in social work. 

Ron Padgett has been a transformational leader for The Victorian at Riverside, a 138-year-old senior living community. He saw a need in the LGBTQ community, noting that there were no senior living facilities openly welcoming members of that population, the most underserved in the elder space. Padgett began the LGBTQ initiative to get the word out that Victorian at Riverside welcomes all seniors, and says, “Y’All means ALL!” In addition to being a realtor, he spent 30 years planning events all over the country for celebrities. He is phenomenally creative and has designed museum-worthy costumes for parties and events he has chaired or hosted. tt The Victorian has expanded Padge n its reach to serve seniors who have been shy to go into communal living by making them feel safe. Padgett is responsible for shining a light on this need and solving a problem that many don’t even know exists. 

Nora Dashley, a dedicated leader at the YMCA for 16 years, exemplifies the essence of senior services. The first-generation American, married ashley D with four children, has a ra deep-rooted connection to her community. Her family instilled in her the values of service and family. Dashley leads the Colerain Township Senior Center operations and orchestrates volunteer efforts, producing over 4,000 “Comfort Quilts” for organizations like Ronald McDonald House Charities. She engages more than 650 seniors, enhancing the lives of 2,500.

Her outstanding commitment during the pandemic – facilitating over 6,000 meals and 5,300 check-in calls – earned her a Hometown Hero award from the Colerain Chamber of Commerce. Off-duty, Dashley cherishes family time and serving her community. Her family members were founders of the Gold Star Chili brand. 

Ro

apa

n n ar i

Lisa Capannari understands the mobility needs and challenges of the aging population, given her 35-year career as a physical therapist assistant in geriatrics. Through her affiliation with TriHealth’s Think First Trauma Prevention program, Capannari has helped educate thousands of students about the ramifications of brain and spinal cord injury often associated with reckless behavior. Lisa is the education and outreach coordinator for Whole Home, a division of People Working Cooperatively. Safe access for all is of deep interest to her, given her experience in the medical field, and she applies this knowledge in her client interactions. Capannari facilitates three fall-prevention workshops, in person and virtually, through PWC’s Whole Home Innovation Center. She collaborates with health care professionals and realtors on barrier-free living options. Capannari enjoys traveling with her husband and visiting national parks. 

Michele Duda finds the money to support services for seniors

Mic

Lis

Safe access, barrier-free living is Lisa Capannari’s goal

aC

No

Ron Padgett led The Victorian to serve LGBTQ seniors

Ki

Kim Clark’s desire to serve led her to help the elderly

he

le D

uda

Michele Duda started at Bayley in May 2023.

With over 16 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she came to Bayley when she saw how much opportunity there was to increase the scale and scope of its development goals. Since Duda arrived, she has secured funding to enable Bayley to provide transportation services for more members of the Adult Day Program. This program is one of only a few left in Cincinnati and is vitally important to the senior community in the area. She has also secured funding to provide facility upgrades at the Bayley Wellness Center, which is important to the holistic health and wellness of its many members.

Duda continues to work on opportunities to improve the quality of life for the residents at Bayley and to make a difference in senior care. Duda enjoys traveling with her husband and two children in her free time. She is from Syracuse, N.Y.  Movers & Makers

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Gifts/Grants

The MYCincinnati youth orchestra was one of several Greater Cincinnati organizations to receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

bi3 awards grants to address local health equity A local health-minded funding initiative is awarding a total of $354,500 to three Greater Cincinnati nonprofits working to improve areas from birth equity to mental health initiatives.

Bethesda Inc.’s philanthropic wing bi3 awarded the grants to Every Child Succeeds, Jamaa Health and Forever Kings.

“Fueling these organizations will help support mental wellness for Black men and youth in our community, while strengthening early child development services, the only of its kind dedicated to ages 0 to 3, to help our kids thrive in the future,” said Jill Miller, president and CEO of bi3.

Bethesda Inc. founded bi3 as a philanthropic initiative in 2010. The grantmaking organization partners with community-based organizations to improve health and reduce health disparities. It has a strategic partnership with TriHealth.

Since its founding, bi3 has awarded more than $100 million in grants.  bi3.org

Local arts organizations receive grants from NEA Ten Greater Cincinnati and Dayton organizations received considerable funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to support efforts including music education and gallery exhibitions to academic research.

The independent federal agency awarded more than $32 million overall through its first round of grants for fiscal year 2024.

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The Dater Foundation’s gift to Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center will support a variety of programs, including cooking classes.

In total, Ohio received 26 grants with a total value of $438,000. Those figures include $135,000 for seven organizations in Cincinnati.

The majority of the Queen City’s awards will go toward traditional arts programming – Activities Beyond the Classroom ($10,000); The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati ($15,000); Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra ($15,000); Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ($30,000); Contemporary Arts Center ($30,000) and Price Hill Will’s MYCincinnati youth orchestra ($15,000).

The University of Cincinnati received $15,000 to conduct a study on the impact of the arts on local commerce and street vitality in several major metropolitan areas.

Other regional recipients are Dayton (Ohio) Contemporary Dance Company ($20,000) and Oxford-based MAKETANK Inc. ($10,000).

Dayton (Ky.)-based Pones Inc. received $15,000 to commission and present a multidisciplinary performance.

The National Endowment for the Arts is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts.  arts.gov

Dater Foundation’s Baker Hunt gift supports youth programs Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center received a $35,000 gift from the Charles H. Dater Foundation, enabling the Covington-based organization to expand its off-campus youth programming.

Baker Hunt plans to use its Dater Foundation funds to expand its free art education and

The Ramp It Up for Veterans program has funded repairs at more than 6,500 homes since 2012.

creative opportunities at more than a dozen schools across Covington, Newport and Ludlow in Northern Kentucky. It also provides classes at Easterseals Redwood, Atria Senior Living, Hathaway Court Senior Living, The Victorian at Riverside and Two Rivers Senior Community.

“We would never be able to provide all this without the Dater grant,” said Karen Etling, Baker Hunt’s executive director.

Founded in 1985, The Dater Foundation provides funding to programs and organizations focused on supporting young people through art and culture, education, health care and social services.  bakerhunt.org

Donations help PWC make critical repairs at veterans’ homes People Working Cooperatively raised $45,685 to fund critical repairs and mobility modifications in the homes of local veterans through its annual Ramp It Up for Veterans campaign.

In addition to traditional fundraising, PWC hosted a telethon on Nov. 9 with the support of WCPO-TV. Veterans representing all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces volunteered to answer phones, collecting more than $38,750 in donations in four hours.

Since its launch in 2012, the Ramp It Up for Veterans program has been able to make repairs and home modifications to more than 6,500 households owned by veterans, surviving spouses and/or children of veterans.  pwchomerepairs.org

GIFTS/GRANTS

Salvation Army receives record donation from W&S The local chapter of the Salvation Army received more than $126,000 from Western & Southern Financial Group’s charitable foundation thanks to record-breaking donations during its annual holiday display outside Krohn Conservatory.

The check for $126,414 includes $63,207 from visitors to the Crib of the Nativity display in Eden Park. The rest of the funding is the result of an equal match from Western & Southern Financial Fund.

This year’s donation tops the 2022 record donation of $112,567.

A record 66,600 people visited the display last year. easternusa.salvationarmy.org

CAA uses $30K gift to help seniors stay in homes The Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency received a $30,000 donation to address financial stressors facing many local seniors.

Union Savings Bank/Guardian Savings Bank’s gift will go toward CAA’s new Secure Seniors Program. The initiative aims to provide financial assistance to alleviate some of the increasing hardships facing seniors, including those related to food insecurity.

SNAP benefits for Americans 60 or older are being reduced to pre-pandemic levels. SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides food benefits to low-income individuals and families to increase their grocery budget.

That additional financial stressor has also sharpened the focus around other hardships, such as increased property taxes and utility bills.

The Secure Seniors Program will offer financial aid to seniors to help them avoid property tax arrearages and the potential loss of their homes. cincy-caa.org

Mark Caner, president, Western & Southern Financial Group Distributors and an advisory board member for The Salvation Army; Major Linda Lopez, director of operations for Greater Cincinnati, The Salvation Army; John F. Barrett, chairman, president and CEO, Western & Southern Financial Group; Major Susan Kelly, divisional leader, The Salvation Army; and Major Scott Kelly, divisional leader, The Salvation Army.

State awards art grants to celebrate Ohio, US history

Santa Maria will use funds to promote housing stability

Three Cincinnati-area visual art projects received funding from the state of Ohio to help commemorate the United States’ upcoming 250th birthday.

The America 250-Ohio Commission awarded Buckeye Impact Grants to ArtWorks, Green Umbrella and Voyageur Media Group, a nonprofit that creates public media about science, history, art and culture. The program offered grants of up to $50,000. Specific grant figures weren’t immediately available.

Voyageur Media Group is using its funding to create a documentary series exploring the impact of photography on Southwest Ohio from 1839 to 1939. Green Umbrella’s project celebrates the state’s agriculture and food histories.

ArtWorks’ two-part mural project – “Tuskegee Airmen Traveling Exhibition” and “Heilbrun-Leahr Mural” – will celebrate the 58 Tuskegee airmen from Ohio. The project will include a permanent mural and a traveling exhibit throughout the state.

The America 250-Ohio Commission offers grants to showcase Ohio’s notable achievements, struggles, honors and innovations through art. Projects will be completed before the country’s semiquincentennial in 2026.  america250-ohio.org

Santa Maria Community Services Inc. received $150,000 from the KeyBank Foundation to strengthen its work to provide support for Hamilton County families on the brink of homelessness.

The West Side nonprofit plans to use the funding on its Stable Families program. It offers comprehensive services aimed at promoting immediate relief and long-term housing stabilization.

Santa Maria Community Services targets neighborhoods and schools with high student mobility rates. Each participating family receives individual attention and guidance from a case manager. “(This grant) strengthens our commitment to helping our program participants achieve long-lasting change by addressing and resolving the issues that push families to the brink of homelessness,” said H.A. Musser Jr., Santa Maria’s president and CEO.  Santamaria-cincy.org 

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Nonprofit News

Author Judith Van Ginkel

Regional officials and Sharonville Convention Center staff members at the ribbon cutting for the new Todd Portune Hall

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati celebrated the purchase and redevelopment of the Emery Theater, which was TCT’s home in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Whimsical groundbreaking marks new era of Emery Theater The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati began its nearly $52 million renovation of the historic Emery Theater into its permanent home in late January.

To celebrate the purchase of the century-old venue, a group of theater leaders, community partners and supporters gathered in Over-theRhine for what TCT staff described as “whimsical groundbreaking.”

The celebration began with a door-chain cutting ceremony and featured an actor dressed as Peter Pan tossing “fairy dust” – colorful ribbon, really – into the air to add a touch of enchantment. Following formal comments, the group went inside for an informal final look at the dilapidated facility before the start of its 18-month rejuvenation.

TCT plans to debut the new-look Emery Theater in time for the start of its 2025-2026 season.  thechildrenstheatre.com

Local leader’s book offers insights into nonprofit management

A book written by a local nonprofit veteran aims to offer insight, perspective and possible solutions to address challenges facing organizations across the United States.

“Chasing Success: The Challenge For Nonprofits” draws on author Judith Van Ginkel’s nearly 40 years leading and supporting nonprofits. An emeritus professor at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Van Ginkel was the founder and president of local nonprofit Every Child Succeeds from 1999-2021.

In “Chasing Success,” Van Ginkel shares personal experiences to highlight how navigating shifting policies and funding dynamics is a problem for nonprofits. ECS, for example, 34

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began with adequate funding, excellent community and business support and a strong scientific case for the mission, she said. However, like a lot of nonprofits, it still encountered roadblocks that did not allow for the growth it needed.

Van Ginkel said roughly 45% of the 1.5 million nonprofits across the country struggle with issues such as rising operating costs, staffing challenges, lack of funding and policy challenges.

On March 8, the Leadership Council for Nonprofits will host a discussion with Van Ginkel at UC’s Digital Futures Building on Exploration Avenue. It’s presented in collaboration with University of Cincinnati Press, the publisher of “Chasing Success.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

It’s also available through Chicago Distribution Center and major wholesalers and retailers.  ucincinnatipress.uc.edu

Report: Arts, culture generate $1.6B for region’s economy Findings in a new report indicate the arts and culture sector had a total economic impact of $1.6 billion on Greater Cincinnati’s economy over the past four years, affecting areas such as job creation, tourism and professional opportunities for underrepresented communities.

The study from the Cincinnati Regional Chamber reviewed data from 2019 to 2023.

Findings showed that since 2019, the average annual impact was nearly $396 million.

The figure peaked in 2022 at more than $488 million. Arts spending in 2022 alone created or supported 6,518 jobs, leading to $15.7 million in taxes and $202 million-plus in employee earnings, per the report.

Among other analyses, the study highlighted the growing economic impact of the 10 largest organizations led by or predominantly for Black, Brown, Indigenous and People of Color, or the BIPOC community.

The Chamber – which operates BLINK – didn’t include its art and light festival in its economic impact calculations for this study.

However, the report emphasized the every-other-year-event continues to be among the biggest economic drivers in the region. In 2022, the four-day event generated $249.3 million in total economic output, per the report.

As it stands, projections indicate the local economic impact of arts and culture will balloon to $2.7 billion for the period between 2023 and 2027. However, the report cautioned that the next four-year figure would actually be a decrease when adjusted for inflation.

The study emphasizes the importance of increasing donations made to the annual ArtsWave Community Campaign to ensure the region outpaces inflation. The 2024 campaign is underway with a record-setting goal of more than $12.4 million.  artswave.org

Sharonville center’s expansion unveiled ahead of Duke closure Elected officials and community leaders gathered on Chester Road in late January to celebrate the completion of a $24 million expansion of the Sharonville Convention Center.

The new-look facility features updated technology and amenities, including a free-standing bar and restaurant as well as a grab-and-go concept offering fresh foods and beverages. But the focal point of the project was Todd Portune Hall. At 40,000 square feet, the hall will be the largest flexible space in Hamilton County when the Duke Energy Convention Center closes later this year to undergo an expansion of its own.

County officials view the expanded Sharonville facility as key to attracting and retaining convention and meeting business during the Duke center’s expected two-year closure.  sharonvilleconventioncenter.com

NONPROFIT NEWS

The $58 million McVey Data Science Building is the newest building on Miami University’s campus.

The 2024 Housing Stabilization Hackathon contestants, including the winning TenantGuard team

An aerial view of a future park on the historic Gamble estate property in Westwood

Event seeks tech solutions to enhance global peace

Great Parks unveils plans for historic Gamble estate

CORA, Covington adding 3 miles to Devou trail

A Cincinnati-based initiative is bringing together international talent to develop technology-driven solutions to global social challenges.

The inaugural PeaceRise Innovation Challenge is a collaboration between Alloy Growth Lab and the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub. From February to May, there will be a series of live and virtual events open to individuals and teams from various professional backgrounds. Participants will work together to develop or refine ideas for promoting global harmony.

The competition culminates in a multiday live event May 3 to 6. Presentations will take place the following week, with an awards ceremony set for May 11. Winning teams will earn prize money to help launch their idea.  peacerise.global

Great Parks unveiled a community-driven master plan for the future of the former Gamble estate in Westwood.

The Hamilton County park system collected input from more than 2,000 people since taking ownership of the Werk Road site in 2021. The plan calls for the construction of a trail network, boardwalks, natural playscapes, community gathering spaces and a mix of educational areas.

It’ll also add bathrooms, dedicated parking and improved lighting.

Improvements will occur in four phases over several years.  greatparks.org

The City of Covington is working with the Cincinnati Off-Road Alliance to add roughly 3 miles to Devou Park’s Backcountry Trails, setting it up to be the region’s longest urban trail network.

Funding for the $147,446 project came from the Devou Park Advisory Committee and Northern Kentucky-based R.C. Durr Foundation.

Plans are to construct several new mixed-use trails or extensions to better connect the system to local neighborhoods. For instance, CORA is working with the Behringer-Crawford Museum to improve access to Battery Bates, a Civil Warera military earthworks fortification.

Other work will include light improvements and modifications to existing trails.

The goal is to finish the project by the end of the year.  exploredevoupark.org/back-trails

Miami has new, state-of-the-art data science building Miami University plans to unveil its $58 million McVey Data Science Building on March 14.

In addition to a formal ribbon-cutting, the agenda includes tours of the state-of-the-art facility and a chance to hear from data science experts, including legendary baseball executive Billy Beane.

Named for donor and alumnus Richard McVey, the four-story, 92,000-square-foot complex is in the heart of the Oxford campus.

McVey supported the project with a $20 million gift. The facility will serve as a home for several Miami departments, including statistics, computer science and emerging technology in business and design.  miamioh.edu

Hackathon aims to address homelessness in Greater Cincy A collection of Greater Cincinnati innovators came together in late January to generate data-driven solutions for reducing homelessness across the region.

The Housing Stabilization Hackathon was led

by Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, in collaboration with Strategies to End Homelessness and other community partners.

Following an online kickoff, nine teams spent a week honing their concepts. Afterwards, they presented them during a “Shark Tank”-style competition at University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Center.

First place and a $1,000 prize went to TenantGuard. The team used machine learning and census data to develop a tool for predicting tenant evictions. Their demo app featured a chatbot designed to walk a person through a targeted list of available tenant resources.

For winning, the TenantGuard team will take part in Flywheel’s Elevate Equity Accelerator, which includes a $5,000 stipend.  flywheelcincinnati.org

Resident-led forum outlines possible streetcar expansion Roughly 300 people packed First Lutheran Church in Over-the-Rhine in early February for the first resident-led Streetcar Forum dedicated to possible system expansion.

The night of presentations included the unveiling of nine potential expansion routes proposed by residents.

Detailed designs of each proposal are available on the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development website.

Feedback is being collected there as well.

The coalition plans to report the findings to Cincinnati City Council this spring.  sustainablecincy.org 

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NAMES in the NEWS

Julie Witten Lloyd

Anne Luecke

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Dan Driscoll

Maria Keri

Julie Witten Lloyd is joining Learning Grove as vice president of advancement to support fundraising and advocacy efforts.

Julie has 20 years experience leading education-based nonprofits and has spent the past three years as a fundraising consultant. Learning Grove also announced Dan Driscoll as incoming treasurer on its board of directors.

Aaron Eisel

Wendy Kobler

Justin Wyborn

Laura Humphrey

Galen G. Gordon

Michael DiMaggio

Juwana Glover

Rahiel Michaels

Kelley Brandstetter Tracy

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Visit Cincy introduced three new at-large board directors at its 2024 annual meeting: Aaron Eisel, Cincinnati Reds; Justin Wyborn, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati; and Galen G. Gordon, The Kinley Hotel Cincinnati.

retiring after 25 years of service to the YWCA Greater Cincinnati.

Glover has been a leader in the social services field for nearly two decades, including seven years working with domestic violence survivors.

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YWCA Greater Cincinnati named Juwana Glover as new chief program officer. She is replacing Debbie Brooks, who is

Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center announced the retirement of longtime executive director Vickie Henderson, and welcomed its new chief executive officer, Lauren Mason. Henderson led NKYCAC for 30 years and conducted more than 6,000 child forensic interviews. Mason, MSW, CSW, has held various positions within the organization, including multidisciplinary team coordinator, forensic interviewer and program director.

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Cancer Family Care hired Anne Luecke as development director. Luecke will oversee all fundraising efforts for the organization and continue to grow major gifts and planned giving programs.

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Cincinnati Works announced the appointment of Maria Keri as the organization’s new chief financial officer. With an extensive background in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Keri will set financial policy and direction while participating in and driving the organization’s strategy, and managing effective and streamlined administrative systems.

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Vickie Henderson

Lauren Mason

Emily Wolff

Rhonda Starghill

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Wendy Kobler, chief development and external relations officer at Cincinnati Works, has been elected to Indiana Institute of Technology’s board of trustees. She will serve a three-year term. Kobler is a graduate of Indiana Tech’s doctoral program in global leadership.

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ArtWorks announced the election of new board officers for 2024. Laura Humphrey, community volunteer and former Bartlett Wealth Management principal/investment advisor, will serve as the new board president. In addition, ArtWorks welcomed the following new directors: Michael DiMaggio, vice president of strategic partnerships and development for KnowledgeWorks; Rahiel Michael, vice president of government and community affairs, The Port; Kelley Brandstetter Tracy, partner, KMK Law; Emily Wolff, artist and entrepreneur.

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Breakthrough Cincinnati introduced Rhonda Starghill as incoming executive director.

Starghill departs her role as chief development and marketing officer for the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. Starghill previously worked in brand management at Procter & Gamble, where she led business and marketing strategy for multimillion-dollar brands. 

Snapshots Who, what, where & why Opera’s Young Professionals host Bacchanal

Madeline Jentsch, Nicolette Rader and Patricia Ryan

Photos: Paige Pederzani Photography

Cincinnati Opera Young Professionals hosted its first-ever COYP Bacchanal, held at The Transept in Over-the-Rhine.

The crowd indulged in the Greco-Roman disco-themed evening, with entertainment from DJ Ryan of Toad Productions and opera, burlesque and drag artists Paris Euphoria, Mirage, and Manuka Honey-Stix Chimera.

Guests also had the chance to enter a raffle for a pair of 18K gold pearldrop earrings donated by Richter & Phillips Jewelers. The event was sponsored by Banz Studios, Richter & Phillips, The Tiffany Collective and WOW Windowboxes.  cincinnatiopera.org

Event chair Alex Lohmann and Cincinnati Opera Board Associates chair Brett Willson

Manuka Honey-Stix Chimera and Paris Euphoria

Chris Lord, Josh Kremer, Juan Lopez Rosado, Will Selnick and Nick Hanselman Owen Wittich, Ciara Tucker, Anthony Buelsing and Madison Hochman

Caroline Molony, Hugo Pereira, Anna Pompilio and Liam Haehnle Claire Wilson and Pato Jamriška Madison Stone and Sawyer Clifton

Members of Cincinnati Opera Board Associates, Cincinnati Opera’s young professionals leadership group: (back) Aliya Riddle, Nicolette Rader, Nataly Wickham, Kristy Davis-Mustain, Alek Lucke and Brett Willson; (front) Will Selnick, Eric Heatley, Alex Lohmann and Jenna Morvay Katie Ward and John C. Fredeking II

Nika Bevis and Amanda Acosta Movers & Makers

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SCPA students join pros at arts gala The Future of the Arts Gala at Music Hall drew 400 attendees and 150 students from the School for Creative & Performing Arts. Students performed alongside professionals from Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Shakespeare Co., Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Pops, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati and May Festival. SCPA alumnus and Broadway star Ron Bohmer also performed for the guests, and Local 12’s Kyle Inskeep served as emcee.

Funds raised will support the school’s artistic programming and other needs, such as primary instrumental classes, violins and other instruments, pointe shoes, scholarship lessons and Mainstage productions.  scpa.cps-k12.org

Colleen Gnepper, Rob Gnepper, Reed Gnepper and Doug Bunker Teresa Summe-Haas, Sandra Joseph and Ron Bohmer Evans Mirageas and Robert Porco

Marilyn Rance, Duke Rance, John O’Connor and Mady Gordon Kristy Davis-Mustain, Mitchell Mustain, Jaasiel Chapman, Chris Dacey, Paula Toti and Kyle Inskeep

Ron Bohmer, Rita Stull, Jack Louiso and Sandra Joseph Tim Giglio, Ryan Whitford and Sophia DiPuccio Alecia Kintner, Brett Stover and Mady Gordon

Linda Siekmann and Matthew Millett

JP Pharr, Sarah Pharr, Will Romanowicz, Kate Romanowicz, Eliza Moffat, Gary Moffat, John Roberts, Susan Roberts, Melissa Dragues and Bryan Dragues

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SNAPSHOTS

(Back) Women Walking West board member Judy Lightner-Noll, board member Dwight Packard and operations manager Michelle Faridi; (front) board member DeAnn Hurtado, board member Janice Walker, board member Wendy Waters-Connell, chief of operations and development Fatemah Hajihosseini and George Sehi, founder and board chair

Women Walking West gala celebrates mentees and donors Women Walking West hosted its fourth annual RISE Gala at the Manor House. With 450 guests in attendance, the nonprofit celebrated the achievements of mentees and honored its donors and supporters. Rhonda Whitaker Hurtt, vice president of community relations at Duke Energy, was keynote speaker and presented a $10,000 check to support the organization’s work around education and empowerment of foreign-born women.  womenwalkingwest.org Rhonda Whittaker Hurtt of Duke Energy presents a check to George Sehi

Rhonda Whittaker Hurtt Emcee Hagit Limor

Photos: L aura Hicks

Fatemeh Hajihosseini (center) with essay contest winners Stephany Gomez, Maniromba Ernestine, Rosalba Nickleman and Dillys Jinui Fongong

Fine art photography Tina Gutierrez Arts Photography tinagutierrezartsphotography.com tinagutierrezarts.photoshelter.com/portfolio tinagutierrez8@gmail.com | 513.446.1903

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Ride Cincinnati raises $1.5M for UC Cancer Center

Dr. Syed Ahmad, Allison Gordon, Dr. William Barrett, John F. Barrett, Mike Rudnicki, David Nevers and Miles McDowell

Ride Cincinnati raised a record $1.5 million to fund cancer research in 2023. Months ahead of this year’s rendition of the annual cycling event, organizers already predict this September’s ride will have just as large an impact, if not bigger.

In January, Ride Cincinnati representatives John Barrett, Allison Gordon and Miles

McDowell presented a check to the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center during a UC men’s basketball game at Fifth Third Arena.

To date, Ride Cincinnati has raised more than $8.1 million, with most of that going to the Cancer Center and UC. More than 10,000 cyclists have taken part.

Funds go toward novel cancer research projects that often require small grants from organizations like Ride Cincinnati in order to move forward, said Dr. William Barrett, brother of John Barrett and head of the UC Cancer Center.

This year’s ride is on Sept. 14.  ridecincinnati.org

Angels’ Castle breaks ground Angels’ Castle celebrated the groundbreaking on its new therapeutic campus to serve adults with intellectual disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome. Located in Springfield Township, the campus will serve up to 80 participants daily and will offer experiential-based therapies and programming.

The first step in construction will be to build a new bridge over Mill Creek. With two lanes, the bridge will make the property more accessible while ensuring the integrity of the creek and preserving the natural aspects of the campus.  angelscastle.org

Ron Painter, Rick Seaver, Jon Mason, Lisa Allgood, Dr. Beatriz Porras, Marco Ryes, Louie Ryes, Beth Uhlenborck and Dr. Alvaro Ryes

Rendering of the new bridge crossing Mill Creek to connect Angels’ Castle’s property

Bawe Shinholster, EmPath President Leslie Williams and Ashley Shinholster Emcee Tim Goldrainer

Circus Bizircus steps right up for autism support Circus Bizircus drew more than 300 guests for an evening of food, drinks, circus-style entertainment, a fire show, a lady on a horse, and live and silent auctions. DJ Etrayn provided music and Tim Goldrainer, lead singer for local rock group The Menus, was emcee. Circus Bizircus and EmPath for Autism Foundation raised $67,000 for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Circus Bizircus will return Sept. 21 at Madison Theater in Covington.

EmPath for Autism is a resource for children and families affected by autism spectrum disorder who are looking for support, hope and success on their unique journeys.  empathforautism.com

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Live entertainment was provided through a joint venture with Cincinnati Circus, East To Vest Productions and Queen Bee Cabaret.

Jagger Williams, age 6, sings a song on stage.

He has autism and is the inspiration for the EmPath For Autism Foundation.

Jonathon Ramsey and Yuliya Johanningmeier

SNAPSHOTS

Good Samaritans’ gala raises $718K

2024 gala committee members Caroline Isaacs, Laura Mena, Joyce Lehmann and Melody Weil, 2024 Physician Champion Dr. Stephen Blatt, and gala committee members Kari Dunki-Jacobs, Renita Homan, Tessie Hayden and Alandra Parchman (not pictured: Dr. Kristin Coppage, Shiva Ghazi, Lesley-Ann Gracey and Jennifer Pavelka)

The Good Samaritans’ 39th annual gala created an “ARTRAGEOUS” evening for friends of the Good Samaritan Foundation. The event drew 635 guests to Cincinnati Music Hall and set a new fundraising record of $718,000.

Proceeds raised from the gala support the foundation’s Forever Forward campaign, along with annual support of the Medical Education Research Fund and the Good Samaritan Free Health Center.

Guests enjoyed dinner, cocktails and dancing to the Atlanta-based A-Town A-List band. They also took part in activities including a 360-degree photo booth, colorful face painting, caricature artists and an adult Lite Brite. Sponsors and Forward Partners underwrote the evening’s activities, entertainment, meals and sweets.  gshfoundation.com

Guests expressing their creativity at the event’s coloring book wall

Presenting sponsor PFS Group guests Joseph Foerster, Emily Foerster, Samantha Smith, Ryan Durrschmidt, Brandi Dzanski, Jason Dzanski, Amanda Woods and Tom Woods

Foundation board table: (back) Jim Miller, Dr. Stephen Blatt, Rick Rafferty, David Bremer and Shannon Lawson; (front) Jodi Geiser, Molly Blatt, Mary Rafferty, Terri Hanlon-Bremer, Elizabeth Mangan and Kei Lawson

The sold-out “ARTRAGEOUS” event raised a record-breaking $718,000.

CETconnect.org/passport Movers & Makers

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BE NKY marks successes and looks forward More than 165 elected officials, Northern Kentucky business leaders, Build + Elevate NKY campaign investors and other community members attended BE NKY Growth Partnership’s 2024 Annual Forum at The Lightwell in Covington.

BE NKY reflected on its 2023 successes, which included 16 project wins, 1,419 new jobs announced and $383 million in capital investment, nearly $100 million above the company’s goal.

BE NKY honored 14 companies that located or expanded in the region in 2023, including Ancra Cargo, Castellini, DHL Express, Keller Logistics Group, The Kroger Company and Safran Landing Systems Kentucky.

The forum – BE NKY’s second – also featured a keynote address from Economic Leadership’s Ted Abernathy, founder and managing partner, and Kat Saunders, partner. The pair spoke about Northern Kentucky’s competitiveness and strategies for continued economic growth and prosperity.  be-nky.com

Jeremy Worley, Jacob Edmonds, Riley McLaren, Scott Moseley and Mark Grauwelman

Wade Williams, Brandon Simmons and Kevin Donnelly

BE NKY Growth Partnership honorees: Philippe Garnier, Safran Landing Systems CEO and general manager; Larry Bethel, Ancra Cargo president; Kimberly Rossetti, BE NKY vice president of economic development; Don McCutcheon, DHL Express head of Americas region hub development; Chris Larsen, Castellini CEO; Heather May, Keller Logistics group director of operations; and Lee Crume, BE NKY CEO.

Speaker Kat Saunders

Lee Crume, CEO of BE NKY

Christi Godman and Kristen Smitherman-Voltaire

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John Hawkins

Guests at the 2024 Annual Forum

Speaker Ted Abernathy

SNAPSHOTS

Visit Cincy shares plan for convention center Honoree Kimm Lauterbach, honoree Jackie Reau, Visit Cincy President and CEO Julie Calvert, honoree Phil Smith, honoree Anastasia Mileham and Kristi Phillips Kathy Dawn, Visit Cincy senior sales manager, with honoree Dan Kowalski, honoree Jon Halusek and Julie Calvert

Cincinnati tourism officials shared renderings of the new Duke Energy Convention Center at its annual meeting. Visit Cincy reviewed results from 2023 and strategic initiatives for 2024 and beyond, and introduced new board leadership. The group also honored regional hospitality, industry and civic leaders.

The meeting at the convention center brought together more than 500 business professionals, civic leaders and members of the regional hospitality industry.  visitcincy.com

Honoree Steve Loftin, honoree Pete Blackshaw, honoree Jeff Berding, honoree Kimm Lauterbach, honoree Brendon Cull, Julie Calvert, honoree Keizayla Fambro, honoree Jack Willingham, Kristi Phillips of honoree Cincinnati Business Committee and honoree Mayor Aftab Pureval

Honoree Dr. Patrick Muck and Julie Calvert

Honoree Belinda Cottingham

SATURDAY 6:30PM CET SUNDAY 8:30PM CET ARTS

Honoree Alicia Reece, Hamilton County commissioner

Visit Cincy held its annual meeting for an audience of more than 500 at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Honoree Candice Matthews Brackeen and Julie Calvert

Join Barbara Kellar as she showcases artists and cultural leaders from the Greater Cincinnati community.

www.CETconnect.org

Emmy Award Winner Regional - Interview/Discussion Program

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Trade training program graduates first class The Enzweiler Building Institute celebrated the graduation of its inaugural class from the innovative Life Skills Training and Trade Certificate Program, presented in partnership with Life Learning Center.

The event was held at LLC’s location in Covington, where 13 individuals and those close to them celebrated the convocation of certificates.

The graduates participated in an intensive 13-week program, blending hands-on construction knowledge with comprehensive life skills, positioning them as work-ready individuals.

Kenton County Fiscal Court supported the program with a grant funded by the American Recovery Plan Act. Funds go to provide tuition, instruction costs and support for Life Learning Center’s programming.  lifelearningcenter.us

Brian Miller, Building Industry Association of NKY executive vice president; Timothy Tucker, graduation speaker and valedictorian; and Alecia Webb-Edgington, Life Learning Center president and CEO

Kenton County Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann

Life Skills Training and Trade Certificate Program graduates: (back) Nathaniel Estenfelder, Samuel Maust and Walker Floyd; (front) Willis Jones, Quinn Wall, Jaylen Bridges, Timothy Tucker and Gaige Noble

LovisFrost dance treats students and caregivers The Lovis Foundation hosted over 120 students with “exceptionalities” and their caregivers at the Anderson Event Center for its sixth annual winter dance, LovisFrost. The disability-friendly event offers Greater Cincinnati young people with diverse abilities an opportunity to connect and enjoy a winter wonderland filled with music, dancing, giveaways and delicious food.

The mission of the Lovis Foundation is to spread joy to the underserved with a focus on filling gaps within the disability community.  lovisfoundation.org

Attendee Lanie Hayskar with volunteers Claire Lynch and Luke Gaskey

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LovisFrost attendees

Justin Elrod and Hannah Castle arriving at the event

SNAPSHOTS

ArtWorks celebrates new monuments report

ArtWorks board member Kathryne Gardette engaged in activities with ArtWorks civic artist Madison Lentz.

ArtWorks’ Civic Studio presenters: Niya Steagall, Asha White, Coniah Zoogah, Madison Lentz, Eve Miller, Lexi Spurlock, Claire Wagner, Lia MacAskill, Caitlyn Hyland and Karla Batres Gilvin

Photos: Pixxel Designs

ArtWorks’ Civic Studio presented the results of a yearlong initiative exploring the history and future of commemorative spaces in Cincinnati by uplifting the voices of marginalized communities. The official release took place during a public event at the Urban League’s Holloman Center for Social Justice in Avondale to share the findings and celebrate the conclusion of the first phase of the project.

The report shed light on the aspects of monuments that are most meaningful to Cincinnatians, with results showing a strong interest in public art with historical significance and diversity valued over location and aesthetics. The most commonly mentioned themes include love, places, connection/togetherness and support. The top types of public art preferred were murals, followed by sculptures and statues, interactive exhibits and fountains.

Presenting the report were 10 Civic Studio artists, ages 18-24, alongside artist-in-residence Asha White. The event included an exhibition of works expressing their creative journey and insights they gained throughout the process.

The report is now available on ArtWorks’ website.

The program is supported by funding from the City of Cincinnati, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, and the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation.  artworkscincinnati.org

Colleen Houston, ArtWorks CEO and creative director, shared information about the project and the vital importance of diversity and inclusion in public art.

ArtWorks fellow Callum Rettig (back, far right) speaks about the artwork and the fellowship program.

The other standing fellows (to his right) are Kezia Copeland, Nina Seyferth, Destiny Eglian and Thaddeus Johnson.

V² Gallery connects art, handicraft and protest ArtWorks welcomed its first 2024 V² Gallery exhibition, a culmination of works by artist-inresidence Ciara LeRoy and seven fellows, ages 16-24. The group spent weeks working collaboratively and individually to explore how art, handicraft and activism work together toward positive and sustained change. The works on view are sold with proceeds going to the artists.

The opportunity to participate in the Gallery Fellowship Program and exhibit in V² is offered to emerging artists year-round.

ArtWorks V² Gallery is made possible through Vandell Verdona, a collaboration between longtime ArtWorks supporters Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell and Ron Houck and David Nebel. Support for the gallery also comes from HER Cincinnati.  artworkscincinnati.org

(Back) Kezia Copeland, Ciara LeRoy, Callum Rettig, Destiny Eglian and Thaddeus Johnson; (front) Nina Seyferth, Tien Dao and Nico Breen

Micaiah Copeland and child explore the artwork.

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Faith communities join in energy efficiency effort Faith Communities Go Green, a collaboration between EquaSion and Green Umbrella, is now partnering with 52 local faith communities in a new program called the Energy Efficiency Initiative.

The initiative kicked off with a two-part workshop. Panelists Ken Wright, Flequer Vera, Andy Holzhauser, Sister C.j. Willie and Rev. Damon Lynch III introduced their areas of expertise and then joined attendees for roundtable discussions.  equasion.org/faith-communities-go-green Panelists Ken Wright, Flequer Vera, Andy Holzhauser, Sr. C.j. Willie and Rev Damon Lynch III

A Mighty Stream interfaith group marches for justice EquaSion’s A Mighty Stream advocates marched together for racial justice on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They welcomed marchers from the Cincinnati Friends Meeting for a public demonstration of unity and activism in support of compassion, inclusion and justice.

This was only one faction among many who participated in the annual march led by the MLK Coalition.  equasion.org/a-mighty-stream Chip Harrod, Penny Pensak, Alycia McClurg, Justin Kirschner and Michael Hawkins carry the banner for A Mighty Stream.

OneNKY Alliance brings area’s needs to legislators OneNKY Alliance hosted a regional legislative reception at OneNKY Frankfort, located on Capital Avenue in Frankfort, Kentucky. Legislators and the OneNKY Alliance discussed the needs of the Northern Kentucky region, specifically through unity, health and education initiatives.

Participants included NKY legislators, OneNKY Alliance board members, OneNKY Frankfort sponsors and community leaders.  onenkyalliance.com

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OneNKY chairman Robert Heil addresses legislators and Northern Kentucky leaders.

Legislators and leaders gather at the OneNKY Frankfort facility.

GUEST COLUMN

Suspension of disbelief

Essay and photos by Elizabeth Mariner

A Roebling Bridge research odyssey (or how I became a Wikipedia editor)

I

use Wikipedia a lot. It’s the first place I go when looking for basic information and it often appears at the top of a list of internet search results. I have come to trust it. I even donate a couple of dollars a month because I feel it is a valuable service. However, I recently found that Wikipedia is not always accurate and, in fact, may be rife with misinformation. I am not talking about conspiracy theories or celebrity gossip (a given), but easily verifiable facts.

OK, maybe not “easily” verifiable, as I learned during of my recent research adventure, but facts that exist nonetheless about a bridge I run past several times a week; a bridge I have walked, biked and driven across, have photographed and admired, as have Cincinnatians, Kentuckians, travelers and tourists for 157 years.

A deep dive My investigation into the 1867 John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, spanning the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Covington, began in January 2023 when a friend asked me to edit a novel, the second book in a series of three.

Book One is a dark comedy that ends with the protagonist jumping off the Roebling at the North Tower in what was to have been a suicide attempt. Spoiler alert: It failed. Although Book One was published, and the jumping point could not be changed, the exit point and condition of the jumper were not written in stone, or ink, as it were.

My desire to be a good first-time editor and my natural sleuthing tendencies led me down rabbit holes of terminal velocity, vertical clearance, river depth, speed and temperature. I even took my author on a field trip to the bridge and a walk downriver to scope out where his character might emerge from the water. Some of this led to a reworking of the first chapter of Book Two. Some of it did not, such as the U.S. Navy’s instructions on how to avoid life-threatening injuries when jumping off the deck of a sinking ship (like crossing your legs at the ankles to avoid a 35 mph saltwater enema).

I assumed that after original documentation,

John A. Roebeling Suspension Bridge in an afternoon fog, Jan. 25, 2024 Vertical clearance gauge on the TaylorSouthgate Bridge, Cincinnati

Scan to read this article and follow the links at MoversMakers.org

several renovations and myriad articles over the years, it would be easy to find the answer to two questions: How far is it typically from the deck of the bridge to the surface of the water, and how deep is the water?

I found quickly it was difficult to get definitive answers, especially as a river is very … well, variable.

The view from 100 feet Wikipedia and numerous other sources say the clearance for rivercraft passing below the Roebling Bridge is 100 feet.

I was skeptical. It didn’t seem that high. In fact, I was hoping it was not because I doubted anyone would survive that fall, at least not without grave injury, and not for very long in a freezing river at night. But my author had spoken to a medical professional who assured him this was possible, and since the jump happened in Book One, it was a done deal. I would just

Screenshot of the info box (detail) on the Wikipedia article on the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, Dec. 27, 2023.

have to accept that one could survive with only minor injuries. “Creative license,” my friend said. “Suspension of disbelief.”

As a writer and lover of fiction, I was OK with this. To a point. Taking creative license with the laws of physics and biology (unless you are writing sci-fi, fantasy or magical realism) has an air of using “alternative facts” or, equally questionable, not doing your homework. And my name was going to be on that second book.

I was having trouble letting this go. My research told me bridges over bodies of water with commercial boat traffic have a vertical clearance gauge painted on one of their piers for the benefit of approaching craft, as do two 20thcentury bridges I pass on my riverfront runs.

The numbers begin below the span (low steel is the official term) and descend into the water. I noticed the water level was usually somewhere between the 70- and 80-foot marks, so a boat can safely pass under the bridge unless it extends that high above the waterline.

Could the Roebling really be 30 feet higher than these newer bridges? It’s hard to judge the scale of quarter-mile spans stretching into the distance with little for reference but water, sky and the distant shore. The Roebling has no painted gauge on its rough limestone towers, maybe because this would have marred its historical character. Grandfathered, perhaps.

Then, one early spring day, my obsession resurfacing, I paused my run to stand and stare at the Roebling’s North Tower. I noticed Movers & Makers

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GUEST COLUMN a square concrete column on the downriver side that rises out of the water to about eight feet above the deck. It has a weathered wooden gauge with what appear to be one-foot markings; these numbers are not meant to be read by boats, being small and facing the shore. Rather than beginning at the underside of the deck and counting top down, as on other bridges, the numbers run up. On this day, the water level was around 35 (an estimate as the gauge stops short of the water at 40) and the bridge deck was about 93 – a fall of less than 60 feet, which, to my relief, would make for a survivable fall for our protagonist, providing the water was deep enough for the jumper not to hit bottom.

My author was OK with being vague about the details. It is fiction: There is always creative license and suspension of disbelief. I let it go, finished editing Book Two and it was published in late spring.

National Weather Service. It even has a name: CCNO1. There are a number of these gauges along the Ohio and other rivers throughout the country. As I am writing this, I can see on the website (water.weather.gov) that the water currently moving under the Roebling is 27.3 feet deep and is predicted to rise. Normal pool is 25.4 feet. Flood stage is 52 feet.

So, having found a reliable source for the water depth, I now needed one for vertical clearance. I changed my search to include “Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge” – as the Roebling was called before it was renamed to honor the builder in 1983 – and stumbled upon BridgeCalculator.com. It lists all the downtown Cincinnati bridges as having a

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“…John A. Roebling’s Suspension Bridge, then the longest of its kind in the world and an engineering marvel of its time. With the center of its roadway 90 feet above the water under normal conditions, it was plenty high enough for steamboats to make the passage [in 1867].”

“Then, in the 1920s, the Corps of Engineers decided to build a network of low-level dams to ensure that the river would never fall below a depth of nine feet.”

“Today, where there were 46 dams, there are now just 19 [mostly built in the 1950s], all much larger than their predecessors, with locks capable of handling proportionately larger barges. Instead of nine feet, the Ohio River in front of Cincinnati pools at 26 feet.”

Resurfacing – again Six months later, I am editing the last chapter of Book Three. The story is wrapping up. A few pages from the end, the protagonist is told, “See, the bridge is only about 100 feet over the water, but the supports are something like 230 feet high, and there are stairways all the way up to the top. If somebody really wanted a good chance at killing themselves, they’d get an extra 130 feet of fall before hitting the water.” Face palm. I thought we were finished with this.

I emailed my author immediately with the subject line “Back to that damn bridge,” saying I had not found proof, but I was convinced the bridge was not that high, especially at the towers. The numbers just didn’t add up, but I would keep looking into it.

Having drinks the next evening, he smiled charmingly and told me in his droll, smug manner that he saw the email but was not going to read it. I was not surprised, knowing he was so over what he considered my pointless obsession.

I was undeterred. I spent several hours over the weekend, not editing, but continuing my research. The Suspension Bridge has been a local icon since its construction during the Civil War (a fascinating story in itself) and a popular subject for the media ever since, and I continued to find articles and news stories propagating the vertical-clearance narrative of 100 feet. Where exactly had this number originated?

Trying different keywords and refining my search, I discovered that the gauge at the North Tower is a measure, as I suspected, of water depth, and the markings do not reflect the depth at the base of the tower, but at the center of the channel (wvxu.org podcast OKI Wanna Know). Inside are a float and instruments that continuously transmit information to the

articles I had yet to read, “The River Rises” by the late Polk Lafoon IV, in the September 2011 Cincinnati Magazine. It’s mainly about the reclamation of the Ohio River from pollution and what an asset it is to our region, but the good writing kept me reading and three passages provided new information.

Thank you, Polk. I have no doubt you did your homework.

Ajacent to the North Tower of the Suspension Bridge is a concrete column housing instruments that measure the water level. On the north face is a gauge with 1-foot markings.

clearance of between 74 and 79 feet at normal pool, with the bridge in question as the lowest.

These numbers are consistent with the painted gauges on the Taylor-Southgate and Daniel Carter Beard bridges. I never would have found this site searching on “Roebling Bridge.” It is doubtful that these sorts of sites are keywordoptimized for search engines.

Going down for the last time So why did the internet believe the Roebling has a clearance of 100 feet when these technical sites showed evidence to the contrary? I began studying photos taken during construction and noticed the towers were rising from just above the shoreline, not 15 or 20 feet out into the water as they appear today. Even when the river is low, they are surrounded by water. Was the river that much lower in 1866?

New Google search. I finally stumbled upon one of the best-written and most informative

And then, at StructureMag.org, I found excerpts from a final report that John A. Roebling wrote to the trustees of the bridge, dated April 1, 1867, describing the structure and why he built it the way he did. One bit, in particular, caught my eye: “As the bridge stands now, its elevation is 103 feet in the clear [above mean low water] at a medium temperature of 60 degrees, rising one foot by extreme cold and sinking one foot below this mark in extreme heat.”

I changed my tactic to searches on the history of the Ohio River. I learned it was very shallow in the 1800s before the first series of dams was authorized by Congress. One could often walk across it in the summer, and it would sometimes freeze solid in the winter. When the suspension bridge opened, the normal depth (or pool) was only a few feet. Boats on the Ohio were flat-bottomed and had very shallow drafts. The

Winder, J. W., 1866, albumen print, Cincinnati, Ohio (Library of Congress). Three of a four-part panorama taken from the South Tower in Covington during construction.

river was full of snags such as trees and rocks and was often non-navigable during dry spells; there were special boats whose sole job was to patrol the river and clear these obstructions. The 100-foot clearance was important as steamboats had high stacks to keep sparks as far as possible from the rest of the wooden craft. As railroads were built and barges replaced steamboat traffic, dams to raise the river and control flooding made sense. Barges did not need a 100-foot clearance.

Somewhere in my past, I got the idea that the Mississippi River was wide and shallow, while the Ohio River was narrow and deep by comparison. I assumed this had always been the case and was due to natural causes. Not so.

The Ohio as we know it was engineered.

One hundred feet was the clearance in 1867 above an Ohio River you could wade across.

Today, the Roebling’s clearance at the normal pool of about 26 feet (the level the dams strive to achieve) is about 74 feet at the center of the span, about 9 or 10 feet less at the towers. We all know the river goes up and down depending on precipitation, but that clearance has not been 100 feet in at least a century.

Perpetuating a local boast “A 1,000-foot Span and 100-foot Clearance” has a nice, round ring to it. It was probably used in numerous headlines in the mid-19th century, as media of the time touted the engineering feat taking shape over the Ohio River. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world until the Brooklyn Bridge (also designed by Roebling) opened in 1883. Why would any proud Cincinnatian or Northern Kentuckian question those perfect numbers?

Even the 1975 nomination form requesting the Covington and Cincinnati Suspension Bridge be added to the National Register of Historic Places states, “The deck of the bridge arches slightly, rising from a height of 91 feet above mean low water at the towers to a height of 100 feet at the center of the river span.” Not true at the time.

Even if we are discerning investigators, the

web has trained us to expect instant gratification: Impatient, we skip around this monstrous repository from one source to another, passing over books that may have already connected the dots, as they are not digitized or cannot be accessed free of charge. Wikipedia and the press create a self-perpetuating information loop: Wiki editors cite the press, and the press cites the Wiki articles.

A new rabbit hole So … I decided to become a Wikipedia editor and amend the page on “my bridge,” as I was coming to think of it, and save future inquiring minds the odyssey I undertook.

How hard could it be? My first inkling should have been when the pages of instructions and warnings on picking a username paralyzed me for days (Hint: don’t use your real name). As “Alice in Wikiland” was taken, I settled on a derivation. I was in. Easy. One click, then another. Curiouser and curiouser, I followed a white rabbit through a warren of epic proportions to educate myself on the ins and outs of editing: user pages, talk pages, discussion pages, forums, citations, code … It was endless and daunting. At the end of the evening, my head was in free fall and I felt very, very small.

As you can guess by now, I am not one to give up easily. The next day I logged in to Wikipedia and, staring at the page of interest, the Edit button beckoned; I imagined the tooltip pop-up saying “Eat me!” I clicked it, and my courage began to grow.

Editing the sidebar was a bit complicated, but I copied some code and made my edits, citations included. Holding my breath, I hit Publish. The info box on the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge article now states, “Clearance below: 100 ft (30 m) in 1867.

Current clearance at normal pool: 74 ft (23 m).” Then I added a short section to the article about how canalization raised the river and lowered the vertical clearance.

And now I’m 10 feet tall – knowing I have done my part to make Wikipedia just a tiny bit more accurate and, hence, reliable.

Back to the book The Vertical Clearance Question settled, I turned to another “fact.” Are those towers really 230 feet high? Measured from where? Does that include the cupolas? There are conflicting numbers here as well. I could go old-school and hit the library or historical society and hope to find Roebling’s original report or plans. Maybe scale the fence guarding the stairs, climb to the top with a tape measure … maybe not. Or – as my author is hoping – I could just let it go, embrace, as it were, a suspension of disbelief. It is fiction, after all.  Elizabeth Mariner is creative director and copublisher of Movers & Makers. In her spare time, she edits and sometimes annoys Mark E. Scott, author of “Drunk Log,” “First Date” and the soon-to-be-published “Free Will.” She occasionally dabbles in creative writing. emariner@moversmakers.org

Just for fun The Roebling Bridge has a live webcam sponsored by the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee and Corporex. The site also hosts a virtual walking tour and yearly photo contest with fabulous images.  roeblingbridge.org

Context matters During the Great Flood of 1937, the river crested at 80 feet and the Roebling was the only passable bridge for 800 miles between Steubenville, Ohio, and Cairo, Ill., according to several sources.

Another source on the subject cites 600 miles, which is the distance using I-71, per Google Maps (no option for travel by river). More research revealed Steubenville is mile 68 on the Ohio River and Cairo is mile 981. Do the math. Perhaps it was 800 miles by car in 1937. Or on the Kentucky side.

Or the river had 113 less miles of twists and turns (doubtful). I will let another researcher attempt to clarify this one.

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THE LAST WORD | Polly Campbell

In a city of hills, public stairways offer walks into unseen places

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ne of my favorite guides to Cincinnati of them, an annual “stairfest.” is the eccentrically wonderful “Walking “If I ever founded a nonprofit, I think it would the Steps of Cincinnati,” by Mary Anna be to preserve and promote these stairs,” I wrote DuSablon, written in 1998 and revised in 2014. on Facebook several years ago.

It’s a set of walks that take routes through Facebook, as it tends to, set me straight imCincinnati neighborhoods. Not all of them, just mediately. There is such a nonprofit. Spring in the ones with public stairs. Each walk is carefully Our Steps has taken on the steps and alleys of the devised, not necessarily around the most scenic city, lobbying for signage and lighting, cleaning or interesting sights, but to incorporate as many up stairs and alleys with groups of volunteers. sets of stairs as possible. That’s what makes each They’ve hauled away tons of tires and trash, revivwalk eccentric and an adventure. ing walkways through neighborhoods that had Cincinnati has 383 sets of public stairs, fallen into disuse. maintained by the city. Some, like the Main “These public steps are a unique feature of Street Steps, are long, upward marathons, where Cincinnati,” said Christian Huelsman, who you can’t see the top when you’re standing at founded Spring in Our Steps. “Very few cities the bottom. Others are only have the number we do.” two or three steps set into a Obviously, Cincinnati’s Fig Alley Steps sidewalk. There are 34 walks topography called for them in DuSablon’s book, some when people had to walk of which I had already done, to get places. “Originally but during the pandemic, my they were wooden, but that husband and I started workwas too hard to maintain, ing our way through the rest. and in the 1870s-’90s they Some you’ll know about: were updated in concrete,” the glorious Mount Adams he said. “Over a century steps that some Catholics later, they still serve their climb on Good Friday, stopcommunities.” ping every step to pray. Other Where you can see Spring times of year, you might just in our Steps’ work best is stop to catch your breath from Over-the-Rhine up from the climb and the beauthrough Mount Auburn, tiful views at the top. Some where SiOS worked with go up through the beautiful Cincinnati’s Department residential neighborhood of of Transportation & Photo courtesy Spring in Our Steps Prospect Hill, reminding me Engineering to get 14 of the Filbert Avenue steps in San Francisco. stairway gates marked and lit. Huelsman has But the beauty of using these stairs as a basis ambitions to expand that. What with busy streets for walking through the city is that they take and highways, and the hills, we forget how these you to parts of Cincinnati you might otherwise old neighborhoods relate. “We’d like to see stairs never see. Even driving, I often find enclaves creating shortcuts that let you walk from Camp and tucked-away corners of neighborhoods I’ve Washington to Walnut Hills. It would be a never been to before. That’s even more so when contiguous network, like roads or a bike network, walking. Some have taken us past backyards but for walking,” he said. and abandoned buildings, where the railings Recently, they worked to re-open and name have been vandalized for scrap, through barren Fig Alley and the Ohio Avenue Steps that conthickets of honeysuckle and the flotsam of litter. nect upper Ohio Avenue to Vine Street in Clifton But all give a glimpse into Cincinnati history and Heights/University Heights/Fairview, working architecture, the changing fortune of differwith the University of Cincinnati’s College of ent neighborhoods and the ways we’ve moved Design, Architecture, Art and Planning as a partthrough an urban landscape over time. And, ner. These projects take a lot of work. On a rainy almost always, a great new view. day recently, I went for a walk with Elizabeth As I walk them, I often think these steps could Fisher-Smith, who’s on the board of Spring in our be a real recreational and tourist attraction for Steps, to see one of their latest works, a 10-year Cincinnati. I can imagine community groups project. We met at a little playground at the corsponsoring them, organizing step-related activiner of Gage and Rice streets in Mount Auburn, ties, making maps and checklists for climbing all just under a towering, rocky cliff with Christ 50

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Hospital at the top. I couldn’t locate myself geographically any more specifically than that.

She showed me the new Wendell Alley Steps, finished with handrails and lighting and drainage. We walked down Wendell Alley, paved with old bricks that’d been newly cleaned of debris, trash and dirt. A retaining wall alongside looked like ancient ruins. It makes a great shortcut for anyone going from OTR up to Mount Auburn and Christ Hospital. We instead turned right, and since they were close by, took the Main Street Steps all the way down to Mulberry Street.

Along Mulberry Street, we walked past old buildings, some being lived in, some falling apart, and new residential buildings, me still wondering how I’d never been on the street before.

Somehow, we found ourselves back at the bottom of Rice Street without having to climb back up.

That whole complex of stairs is a good place to start. I love the way it makes you understand the topography of the city in a new way, and imagine how people used the stairs in, say, 1910.

Of course, you should hit the Mount Adams “Good Friday” steps. And if you’re doing this for exercise, take on the Main Street Steps.

I’ve also loved the Sayler Park walk, which had us going down short steps to U.S. 50, where people used to catch buses, walking along its margin, then up some more steps, then back down some.

We gave up for fear of getting hit by a car, but we found the most amazing old steamboat Gothic houses, plus Cincinnati’s smallest park, and we had an excuse for dinner at the Buddha Barn.

A Price Hill walk, once we figured out where it started, took us along the astonishing street of houses on Maryland Avenue, past the abandoned support of the old incline, then up to the Incline District. From one high point, where we could see the river and the rooftops of several neighborhoods, it seemed that we were looking at a 19thcentury city, with nothing but red brick and slate roofs coming up from the river.

The Norwood walk was ruthlessly non-scenic, but with interesting glimpses into historic manufacturing. We looked both ways and did it, but that was the original edition – the new one says the path is closed.

If you feel a little tentative about neighborhoods you’re not familiar with, take a group.

We’ve never met any scariness ourselves.

And, if you want to be more involved, go to www.springinoursteps.com to read about new projects and get in on volunteering.  Polly Campbell covered restaurants and food for the Cincinnati Enquirer from 1996 until 2020. She lives in Pleasant Ridge with her husband, and since retiring does a lot of reading, cooking and gardening, if that’s what you call pulling weeds.

She writes monthly on a variety of topics, and she welcomes your feedback and column suggestions at editor@moversmakers.org.

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