Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week August 8-14 2011 We're a bit late to get you in on the start of the Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week, but it's not too late to sample some of the best dining Cincinnati has to offer at significantly discounted prices!  And all this just a short drive for Warren County residents!  30-40 minutes for most of us will get us there for a great meal! This year 18 restaurants are participating in the Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week, and NONE of them are slouches when it comes to food!  A couple are part of national chains (McCormick & Schmick's and Morton's the Steakhouse),  but the rest are independent restaurants who'd love to have you pay them a visit!  And the deal?  A three course dinner for $35 per individual, or for some restaurants that $35 co... 08/10/2011

Ault Park Celebrates its 100th Anniversary                       Come to Ault Park's "Big Birthday Bash" on August 18, 2011.  The event is designed for everyone in conjunction with the Ault Park Advisory Council's third Summer Dance in the Pavilion.  There will be live music, birthday cake, centennial festivities and refreshments for sale. The initial 142-acre tract for the park was gifted to the city in 1911 by Ida Mary and Levi Addison Ault.  Later other family members and donors contributed additional land.  The Italianate Pavilion where many events start was dedicated in 1930.  From the top of the Pavilion, you have a 360-degree view of the area...out over the Little Miami River and its marshes, over Lunken Area and all the way to UC. Ault Park is known for its variety of areas for ... 08/09/2011

Home Loan refinance - Compare your Mortgage rates FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional - CincinnatiHow do I know if it makes sense for me to refinance?First determine your financial mortgage related goals: i.e. are you looking to improve your monthly cash flow, reduce your mortgage term, do you need to take out cash utilizing the equity from your home? Obtaining the right mortgage for your particular needs could make sense even when rates are not at their lowest levels so Compare your Mortgage rates FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional .in the Cincinnati Area.  First identify your goal and contact a mortgage professional for suggestions on mortgage programs that would best help you meet your objectives. Then shop for rates after you have selected the appropriate mortgage program.Home Loan refinance - Com... 08/05/2011

US Open Beach Volleyball in Cincinnati? YES!!!  September 1 - 4 Think pro beach volleyball and what comes to mind?  California sand, girls and guys with tans, 6 pack abs for both sexes and a scarcity of clothing? Kind of like the picture? But what you probably DON'T think about is Cincinnati! But guess what? We won't have the ocean in the background, but  CINCINNATI is where the 2011 US Open Beach Volleyball event will be this Labor Day Weekend September 1st through 4th at Hahana Beach! Hahana BEACH??  Okay, they've hauled in tons and tons of sand to make a premier volleyball and restaurant complex with an Hawaiian theme!  Located at 7605 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati OH 45227 (just west of the Newtown Bridge), they've built the place and gathered the sponsorships to make a SUPERIOR event!  ... 08/04/2011

The 19th Cincy Blues Fest August 5-6 2011 at Sawyer Point! If you're a Blues fan, this is your weekend!  Lebanon has their Red Hot Blues Festival Saturday, and it's FREE! But if you want to drop a few dollars on a two day festival, Cincinnati has the offering for you with the 19th Cincy Blues Fest!  With THREE stages of entertainment set up at Sawyer Point right on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, you'll get your money's worth. The Main Stage will be the P&G Pavilion.  A second stage will be set up under the Purple People Bridge and feature rockabilly acts Friday.  And a third stage will be set up for local blues performers. Admission is $15 per day, or a two day pass for $25.  Children 13-18 $5/day, 12 and younger are free. Performances start Friday at 4:45 pm and Saturday at 4:3... 08/03/2011

  Take something great and make it Greater!   The home stagers at Design To Market followed our formula for success in working with the owner of this great Cincinnati home.  With a full page of "to-do" items and a willingness to work hard this seller followed the recipe and had his home under contract in under 10 days.  The 3 part strategy focused on the following: The homeowner decluttered and cleaned the home from top to bottom The Design To Market stagers added the decorative touches with artwork and accessories that gave this great home a finished look that would grab prospective buyers. The professional photographer engaged by Design To Market took great listing photos that made this a must see on the listing websites.     Bonus space goes from extra storage to appealing breakfast ... 07/28/2011

Grab Your Paddle!  Cincinnati Paddlefest June 23-25 2011 How'd you like to participate in one of the country's LARGEST canoe and kayak events?  Get out on the Ohio River and head DOWNstream?  Be part of a floating armada of around 2000 canoe and kayak enthusiasts?Well here's your chance!  The 10th annual Paddlefest Weekend starts Thursday at Coney Island in New Richmond!Thursday June 23rd at Coney Island: The Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  (two sessions:  9:30-12:30 & 1:30-4:30).  Outdoor water safety & environmental education programs.  Towboat tour too!  And actually, QUITE a bit more activities for the kids!  FREE. Friday June 24 at Coney Island:  Ohio River Music & Outdoor Festival.  5-9:30 pm live music on the WNKU Band stage.  Cardboard Boat Races 7-8 pm.... 06/21/2011

Good .................Better....................Best! Green is the way to go in new construction in Cincinnati.  In anticipation of this month's GREENarama, the Design To Market team has staged a home in Cincinnati's Columbia Tusculum neighborhood that will host the first annual GREENarama.  This home at 428 Strafer is a perfect example of new construction that delivers the feel of the historic neighborhood and at the same time meets the green criteria that help make it qualify for the 15 year Cincinnati tax abatement.   We hope you'll come see Design To Market's staging and at the same time see an exciting neighborhood on this picturesque hillside in Columbia Tusculum.    For more information about our home staging in Greater Cincinnati visit our website or call Jo Potvin at 513-265-0... 06/13/2011

Toyota's Movie Night at Cincinnati's Fountain Square Sunday Nights through August 28 2011 Another sign of summer's approach, Toyota's movie nights on Sundays at Fountain Square's BIG screen in downtown Cincinnati.  Held 7 to 9 pm each Sunday night starting June 5th through August 28th with the exception of no movie on July 10th. And with Fountain Square just a short drive from Warren County, it's easy to go enjoy a movie and do something different for a nice change of pace!  Fountain Square is at the intersection of Fifth and Vine Streets downtown. Bring blankets, lawn chairs, pillows, etc. (because the concrete is HARD if you're going to be on it for a couple of hours!).  If you'd like "adult" beverages are available for purchase, along with soft drinks, movie snacks, Skyline, pizza, a... 06/02/2011

Cincinnati's Summerfair June 3, 4 & 5, 2011:  Fine Arts and Crafts At Their Best! It's that time of year again!  SUMMERFAIR!!!  Now in it's 44th year and being held at Coney Island this weekend, this is THE Cincinnati area's premier event for arts and crafts. Craftsmen doesn't even BEGIN to do these artists justice!  Truly some of the best in the business gather for this annual event.  Artists from across the country AND Canada journey to Cincinnati for this three day event.  Whether you love woodworking, metalwork, painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, you name the category, SOMEONE here will have it! We have a number of Summerfair items we've purchased over the years decorating our home and yard (like the copper flower in the photo!).  You can spend a little, or you can spend a lo... 06/01/2011

Cincinnati Art Museum Community Day Saturday June 4 2011 The Cincinnati Art Museum already has free general admission thanks to an endowment by The Richard and Lois Rosenthal Foundation.  That by itself makes it a fantastic deal.  It also gives you an excuse to go to Eden Park in Mt. Adams.  Getting better and better.  But what if they added some MORE?  How about from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday June 4th enjoying tours, live art making AND circus performers in honor of the Cincinnati Art Museum's The Amazing American Circus Poster exhibit? Trapeze artists, jugglers, acrobats and clowns will be performing live!  And no extra cost, and no reservations required!   The Amazing Circus Poster exhibit runs through July 10, 2011 and features 80 full color lithographs from the circus Golden Age (... 05/31/2011

Butterflies of Brazil at Krohn Conservatory SCHOOL'S OUT Week June 6- 10! Like 16,000 Brazilian butterflies on display wasn't enough to get your attention?? Well June 6 - 10 they're sweetening the pot with extra activities and giveaways at the 2011 Butterfly Show at Krohn Observatory! With special kid's activities, you can take advantage of the fact that they're out for the summer, get some entertainment in and (shhh...don't tell them, but they'll LEARN something too!). For the first 400 visitors each day: Monday:  FREE UDF ice cream Tuesday:  FREE Juice box Wednesday:  FREE 3" plant Thursday:  FREE change purse and butterfly stickers Friday:  Face Painting and Balloon Art 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grab a copy of the Cincinnati Enquirer or visit www.butterflyshow.com for a $1 off admission coup... 05/31/2011

Last Days to Visit Mighty Mike at Newport Aquarium! We let you know that Mighty Mike was coming to the Newport Aquarium back in January.  ALL 14 feet and 800 pounds of him!  But Mighty Mike, we'll he's got the itch to be moving along!  So you've got until Sunday May 22nd, then he's packing up his gator bags and moving along! So if you haven't seen him in Gator Bayou yet, or want one last chance to say goodbye, mosey on down to the Newport Aquarium and say Adios to Mighty Mike! Access is easy, parking is right there at Newport on the Levee, so get your trip planned now!  Type One Aquarium Way, Newport, KY 41071 into your GPS and you'll be there in no time!  Not much more than 30 minutes from most of Warren County! Visit www.newportaquarium.com or call 859.261.7444 for more details.  Serv... 05/12/2011

Cincy Cinco Latin Festival May 7 & 8 2011 Downtown Cincinnati! Yesterday we told you about Taste of Cincinnati Memorial Day weekend.  Well, you don't have to wait NEARLY that long for another great festival! Starting at noon today is the Cincy Cinco Latin Festival!  Featuring Latin American food, music and dancing, this event has been held since 2004.  Hours:  noon - 11 p.m. Saturday May 7th and noon - 7 p.m. on Sunday May 8th. Location:  Fountain Square (intersection of Fifth and Vine in downtown Cincinnati).  Admission is free, parking....well that may cost you a few dollars :) Food:  A variety of Latin American styles will be represented and for sale!  Mexican, Columbian, Peruvian & Dominican to cover a few!  This won't be your typical Americanized cheese enchiladas.  Get authentic a... 05/07/2011

Your Palate Will Say THANKS:  Taste of Cincinnati May 28 - 30 2011 If you like food as more than just a means of telling your stomach to stop growling and shut up, then you're going to LOVE Taste of Cincinnati! Scheduled Memorial Day weekend, May 28 to 30.  Saturday and Sunday noon to midnight, Monday noon to 9 p.m.  How else can you have the temptation and opportunity to sample over 40 of Cincinnati's tastiest treats?  The nation's longest running festival of it's kind, this three day Memorial weekend food fest is in edition #32!  Located on 5th Street in downtown Cincinnati between Race and Broadway.  The event is free, but the food & drink?  That you'll need to pay for!  No item costs more than $5, and most are $3, so you can run up a sizable bill by the time you're done, but you'll ... 05/06/2011

Paying It Forward:  ONE DROP at a time!  We'd planned to attend the Cirque du Soleil's performance of OVO at Coney Island this afternoon, but the April showers, well there's been a LOT of them!  So much so that the Ohio River has decided to claim much of Coney Island as it's own and performances have been canceled Friday...then Saturday...and late yesterday, today's schedule too. And Cirque du Soleil does a good job with notifications.  We got the email notification of the cancellation and then immediately thereafter the credit card refund notification.  And something caught our eye on the email, just a little blurb towards the bottom about ONE DROP, a Cirque du Soleil supported NGO (non-governmental organization). ONE DROP was founded by Guy Laliberte in 2007 in Montreal Canada.  Guy i... 04/24/2011

Arts Wave Sampler Weekends                                         Arts Wave (formerly the Fine Arts Fund) is again sponsoring Sampler Weekends...with the emphasis on the plural weekends.  As part of their emphasis on taking the arts to the communities throughout the region, the events have been expanded to encompass six weekends.  April 23rd is the last. So now, you have many more opportunities to celebrate the music, dance, theater, museum and festival offerings around the area.  So take your friends, family, children or neighbors in hand and plan on some special fun.  Best of all, it's FREE! Events for April 23rd that caught my eye include: Contemporary Arts Center: 1-4 pm - Pones, Inc -  group helps children make masks and dance 1 pm - Tracy Walker Band 3 pm - Nalanda School of Danc... 04/16/2011

16th Annual Butterfly Show Starts April 16th at Krohn Conservatory  in Cincinnati's Eden Park!  There's nothing quite like a beautiful butterfly to just stop us in our tracks!  They love the flowers in our yard, but it's still a bit chilly so no signs of them locally! However, just a short drive from Warren County there's a prime opportunity to get your quota of color flitting through the air!  Opening April 16th at 10 a.m., the Krohn Observatory is hosting Butterflies of Brazil!  16,000 Brazilian butterflies doing their version of the aerial samba!  Major color splashes, and over a 100 different species of butterflies have been brought in for the show! Each butterfly costs between $3 to $5, so multiply that out 16,000 times and these little natural masterpieces really are winged treasu... 04/15/2011

SEARCH ALL CINCINNATI OPEN HOUSES   This weekend, Saturday April 9th and Sunday April 10th, the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors and the Northern Kentucky Board of Realtors are holding their annual Springtime Open House Event for 2011: Show and Sell! Local Realtors are holding open over 3,000 homes in Cincinnati alone! This is a great opportunity to go out and look around if you are in the market or thinking about purchasing a home this year. We couldn't have bought better weather if we tried; Saturday and Sunday both look like BEAUTIFUL DAYS! SEARCH ALL CINCINNATI OPEN HOUSES   Come and visit me on Sunday at these great homes! 12-1pm - 200 Logsby Place, Unit E in Milford 1:15-2:30 - 219 W. Stoneridge Drive, in Milford 3-4pm - 2330 Sherwood Lane, in Norwood Stop by any of these open h... 04/08/2011

Arts Wave Sampler Weekends                                         Arts Wave (formerly the Find Arts Fund) is again sponsoring Sampler Weekends...with the emphasis on the plural weekends.  As part of their emphasis on taking the arts to the communities throughout the region, the events have been expanded to encompass six weekends. So now, you have many more opportunities to celebrate the music, dance, theater, museum and festival offerings around the area.  So take your friends, family, children or neighbors in hand and plan on some special fun.  Best of all, it's FREE!     Events for Sunday, April 10th that caught my eye include: Taft Art Museum - self-guided tours from 11-5 pm with a guided tour to the best of their collection from 1:30-2 pm. 11:30 am - Lost in Holland - cellist / gui... 04/03/2011