What To Do in Cincinnati This Weekend: Oct. 12-14

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

ONSTAGE: 1984 at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
George Orwell’s classic political thriller has resurfaced into modern pop culture as of late because, er, many are drawing parallels to current-day issues and 1984’s horrific dystopian future. Big brother is watching. Rediscover this classic via a play, where protagonist Winston Smith stumbles upon a resistance movement against a bleak surveillance government. Spooky, indeed. Through Nov. 3. $57 adults; $53 seniors; $31 students. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

CLASSICAL: Cincinnati Pops Haunted Hall
Music Hall is rumored to be one of the most haunted buildings in America. Between the stories of ghosts being seen in the elevator to strange noises being heard by employees, there are plenty of spooky stories to tell here this Halloween season. And the Cincinnati Pops is getting in on the action with Haunted Hall, a selection of “orchestral blockbusters” like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the suite from Psycho and Danse Macabre. Come celebrate Halloween early with this spirited performance in an allegedly haunted hall. On Friday and Saturday, head to the Corbett Tower after the concert to be regaled with haunted tales and grab a boozy bourbon cider from mixologist Molly Wellmann. 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $25-$101 adults; $15 children. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatisymphony.org.

FRIDAY 12

EVENT: Cincinnati Taco Week
Taco Tuesday is taking over the whole dang week during CityBeat’s Cincinnati Taco Week, seven days of $2 tacos from area eateries and taquerias including B&A Street Kitchen, Injoy, Lalo, Lucius Q, Slatts Pub, Taqueria Mercado, Tin Man Grill Food Truck and Veracruz Mexican Grill. Each location will be serving a special (or several special) Taco Week tacos like Injoy’s Chicken Tikka Taco or Lucius Q’s Smokin’ Taco with pork shoulder. These creative and/or classic options (some are even available To Go) will frequently be complemented by a Hornitos tequila special. Check with each restaurant and make sure to print out a Taco Week passport; get your passport stamped at three or more restaurants and you’ll be entered to win a gift card. Oct. 8-14. Get more info at cincytacoweek.com or citybeat.com.

FRIDAY 12

MUSIC: Caroline Rose with Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Long Island, N.Y. native Caroline Rose started writing songs at age 14. By 24, two years after graduating from college with an architecture degree, she had dropped two Americana-leaning albums. Four years on, Rose is finally back with a new label, New West Records, and a new album, Loner, which features a much more Pop-centric set of songs than her previous output. “I love Angel Olsen and Big Thief, and I feel like I used to make music that was more in that vein of intimate, more personal songs,” Rose told Stereogum earlier this year. “But there’s another part of my personality that’s a storyteller and I love being flamboyant and boisterous sometimes. So I wanted to take all the different facets of my personality, like the humor and sarcasm.” 8 p.m. Friday. $69. Bogart's, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

COMEDY: D.C. Benny
D.C. Benny, born Ben Wartofsky, takes his professional name from, you guessed it, his hometown of Washington, D.C. His comedy career began at a talent show at the University of Maryland. The crowd found his impressions of his professors hilarious and he wound up pursuing stand-up full-time. He was never really a road comic, winding up in New York where he began to get steady work, including gigs outside of stand-up. “I did stand-up first. And then while I was doing that, commercials fell into my lap,” he says. “I booked a lot of national commercials and that allowed me to stay of the road.” TV and movie roles followed, but he still considers himself to be a stand-up comic first. He performs primarily in New York, but still manages to hit the road occasionally. The very hilarious Jay Armstrong from Covington will feature for Benny this week in Cincinnati. Through Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: USS Nightmare
Welcome to the USS Nightmare. With two levels of horror on this huge, haunted “death dredge,” only the bravest will make it through the 30-plus-minutes of being scared. Yes, not everyone even makes it through. The whole experience of the USS Nightmare is based off The Mitchell Massacre. In this story, a whole community watches as an old ship goes on an erratic journey down the river, crashing into multiple bridges. When rescuers finally get aboard the ship, they assumed they would find no passengers, but instead found a plethora of bloody bodies. Book a RIP Experience for some hands-on, immersive terror to kick-off the Halloween season.
Through Nov. 3. $20 general admission with options for upgrades, including a RIP Front of the Line $60. 101 Riverboat Road, Newport, Ky., ussnightmare.com.

FRIDAY 12

FILM: Cinema in the Cemetery: Nightmare Before Christmas
The biggest debate of modern history: Is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas meant to be viewed in December or October? This local event is taking a stand. Catch the stop-motion classic that inspired a league of mid-2000s emo kids before Halloween has arrived. To add to the ambiance and spooky vibes, this screening will take place at the Linden Grove Cemetery. Curl up as Halloweentown’s pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, plots to steal Christmas. Food and drinks will be available, but you can opt to pack a picnic. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Friday. Free. Linden Grove Cemetery, 401 W. 13th St., Covington, Ky., historiclindengrove.org.

FRIDAY 12-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Dent Schoolhouse
Projected ghosts swirl on the walls as figments of cockroaches scurry across the floors. Screams resound, mangled by the twisted churr of chainsaws. To usher in Halloween season, one of the region’s most-frequented haunts — Dent Schoolhouse — is opening its doors. Behind the haunt is the ever-evolving lore based on the legend of Charlie the janitor, who supposedly murdered multiple children from the school and hid their bodies in the basement (while you stand in line, you’ll see him stalking the perimeter). Enter if you dare, and prepare to be spooked by this horror-filled schoolhouse; you won’t be the only one, it sees 30,000 guests per year. Through Oct. 31. $20-$25; $50-$55 for front of line. Dent Schoolhouse, 5963 Harrison Ave., Dent, frightsite.com.
Photo: Provided

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Nothing says fun like fermentation! The 49th-annual Ohio Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville features more than 460 craft vendors from over 25 states and a whole lot of cabbage. Started in 1970, the first fest served 528 pounds of sauerkraut to about 1,500 guests. Today, guests — of which there are approximately 350,000 — eat more than 7 tons of kraut. Dine on dishes ranging from sauerkraut pizza and German sundaes (mashed potatoes topped with kraut) to Polish cabbage soup and sauerkraut donuts. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Downtown Waynesville, sauerkrautfestival.waynesvilleohio.com.

SATURDAY 13

EVENT: Downtown Tour of Living
After a hiatus, the Downtown Tour of Living is returning in October to show off some of the many apartments and condos in the booming central city. Presented by Downtown Cincinnati Inc. and Switch Collection, it will offer a self-guided, walkable tour of the brand-new Crane Factory Flats, formerly the Cincinnati Board of Elections headquarters, as well as visits to AT580, ENCORE Urban Living, Renaissance at the Power Building, Seven at Broadway, Eight One Three Broadway, East Eight Lofts, Shillito Lofts, The Reserve, Sycamore Place and more. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. $10 advance; $15 day of. downtowncincinnati.com.
Photo: facebook.com/cranefactoryflatscincinnati

SATURDAY 13

EVENT: Wizard Pub Crawl
Accio beer! Whether you’re a muggle, wizard or Ron Weasley, break out your wand and get ready to drink your way through downtown and OTR. Tickets include a wand and wand box, Hogwarts house certificate, a costume competition, house-colored wristband for sorting, special photo ops, themed drinks and potions at each location and more. Crawl includes stops at 16-Bit, MOTR, HalfCut, The Rook, Japp’s and more. 2-10 p.m. Saturday. $25; $40 VIP (includes T-shirt). 16-Bit Bar+Arcade, 1331 Walnut St.,Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/16BitBar.

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: HallZOOween
Get spooky with some wild animals at the Cincinnati Zoo’s HallZOOween event. Promised to be “so much fun, it’s scary,” the event will offer family-friendly events all day long like trick-or-treat stations and special animal encounters. Families will also have a chance to attend the Beauty Shop of Horrors or Phil Dalton’s Theater of Illusion Shows. For an additional charge, the kids can dare to ride the Hogwarts Express Train Ride or a Scare-ousel. Noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sundays in October. Event is included with zoo admission ($19 adult; $12 children/seniors). Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.
Photo: Kathy Newton

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Fall-O-Ween
Coney Island is here for all your family-friendly fall needs during Fall-O-Ween. For the next three weekends, you can bring the kids down for hayrides, a pumpkin toss, Trick or Treat trail, roasted s’mores at the Yogi Bear Campsite and more. For an additional charge, little ones can ride a pony or sign-up to pick their own pumpkin and decorate it with provided paint and craft supplies. New to Fall-O-Ween this year is a number of inflatables set up throughout the park for children to slide and bounce through. Costumes are encouraged. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sundays through Oct. 21. $11; $5 parking. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, coneyislandpark.com.

SATURDAY 13

SPORTS: Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones kick of the 2018-19 hockey season by facing off on the ice against the Fort Wayne Komets. And while hockey is exciting — Ice! Sticks! Pucks! Fights! — the $1 hotdog and beer deals on opening night are also exciting. Get several beers and several dogs while watching these dudes duke it out for hockey supremacy. If you’re feeling wild, add a ride on the Chick-fil-A Fan Zam(boni). This custom Zamboni takes a limited number of fans on a spin around the ice during intermission. 6:30 p.m. doors; 7:30 p.m. puck drop Saturday. $17 preferred; $29.50 day-of front row. U.S. Bank Area, 100 Broadway, Downtown, cycloneshockey.com.
Photo: Jesse Fox

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Cincinnati Celtic Fest
October equals kilt weather so don your best Celtic duds and head to Summit Park in Blue Ash for the annual Cincinnati Celtic Festival. This weekend-long celebration, presented by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Foundation, features live Irish music all weekend — including a handful of pipes and drum bands — plus food, beer and games like a haggis toss and a Bonnie Knee contest to see which man in a kilt has the most attractive knees. The opening ceremony kicks off the events at noon on Saturday, with an Irish brunch at Brown Dog Café from 8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday and a 10 a.m. mass. Noon Saturday; 10 a.m. mass Sunday. Free admission. Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash, cincinnaticelticfest.com.
Photo: Provided

SATURDAY 13-SUNDAY 14

EVENT: Ohio Renaissance Festival
For weekends steeped in magic, chivalry, Arthurian flair and fantasy vibes, don your favorite corset or suit of armor and pick your favorite themed weekend to join in. Cheer on your favorite jouster with a giant turkey leg in hand, then wash it down with ale.
10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. $23 adult; $9.50 child. 10542 E State Route 73, Waynesville, renfestival.com.
Photo: Checkmate Photography

SUNDAY 14

MUSIC: Steven Page and Wesley Stace
Steven Page, former co-frontperson for the hit-making Canadian group Barenaked Ladies, is back on the road and coming to Newport this weekend. In 2009, Page left the long-running band he co-founded. Barenaked Ladies have continued without him (the Ladies joined Better Than Ezra and KT Tunstall for a 2018 summer tour that came to PNC Pavilion) as he’s pursued a solo career, but he rejoined the group earlier this year for their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards. Last month, Page released his latest solo album. Page (performing with a trio) will be joined at the show by opener Wesley Stace, who made a name for himself as John Wesley Harding, releasing 17 critically-acclaimed albums. 8 p.m. Sunday. $22; $25 day of show. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse.com.
Photo: David Berman

SUNDAY 14

ONSTAGE: The Roommate
Written by Jen Silverman, The Roommate is a rocky comedy that follows Sharon, a 50-something recent divorcee, and her son as they open up their lives and their Iowa home to a new roommate to fill the space left by Sharon’s husband. Robyn, a fascinating woman on the run who needs a new start, answers their ad, but when “Sharon begins to uncover Robyn’s secrets, she taps in to a deep-seated desire to abandon her comfort zone and live a life of danger and adventure,” says the Playhouse in the Park. And with references to illegal scamming, drug use and adult situations, the L.A. Times says the play “brings humor and a wicked sense of anarchic fun.” Through Oct. 21. $35-$96. Playhouse in the Park, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams, cincyplay.com.