Top 9 things to do this weekend

Macy's Music Festival returns this weekend at Paul Brown Stadium. Photo provided.
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Posted: 07/27/2012

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? 9 News has teamed up with CityBeat to give you the top nine picks.

1. Macy's Music Festival

Fifty years ago, the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival set its roots in Cincinnati thanks to Dino Santangelo and his love of Jazz. Though the festival’s name and genre — from Jazz to Hip Hop to Soul to R&B — have changed, the Macy’s Music Festival consistently provided the city with growing crowds and well-known artists.

This year adds to its rich past with headliners Alex Boyd and Zay Foggs. Other artists include Eric Benet, Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review, Jaheim and Monica. The festival will celebrate its 50th birthday with a video featuring past artists as well as a few surprise features.

Get more information here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/event-macys-music-festival) .

2. Bridalrama returns to Paul Brown Stadium

Calling all confused, frustrated, nervous or stressed brides-to-be: May the struggles of what’s meant to be one of the best days of your life cease to exist! Bridalrama is here to rescue you from your potential retreat into the fiery depths of Bridezilla territory with its summer showcase.

The showcase will feature more than 100 of Cincinnati’s best wedding professionals there to assist you in planning your wedding in one sitting, under one roof.

Find out more here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/event-bridalrama-summer-showcase) .

3. Greek Fest in Middletown

This weekend Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church’s Greek Fest returns for its 45th year in Middletown.

'Gyros on the Go' will be available for part of the fest, but if you're looking for authentic Greek cuisine, a Grecian dinner menu can be enjoyed as well. Live music will be provided by George Karras and Themi Kakias, along with various dance troupes, throughout the weekend.

For more details click here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/greek-fest-in-middletown) .

4. NOM: Night Owl Market debut

It’s 2 a.m. You’re hungry. You’re in the downtown wasteland of late-night dining. Where do you go? Don’t think too hard, NOM’s got you covered. Night Owl Market is a lot on Main Street lined with food trucks, food booths and artisans selling their goods that’s open late to fill the void.

Café’ de Wheels, C’est Cheese, Cincy Bag Ladies and Fireside Pizza will be some of the vendors on hand slinging grub for the NOM kick-off.

Local band The Pinstripes will also be performing.

Get more information here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/event-night-owl-market-kick-off) .

5. Tony Rock (brother of Chris Rock) performs in Tri-State

Tony Rock’s stand-up does remind you a bit of his older brother Chris’s work, though the younger Rock’s delivery is actually quite different. Where Chris seems somewhat stunned by the things he observes, Tony evokes bemusement.

Growing up in the tough Bedford-Steyvesant section of Brooklyn, N.Y., Rock realized quickly that he needed to develop a sense of humor.

For ticket information go here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/comedy-tony-rock) .

6. Midpoint Indie Summer Series on Fountain Square

One of the Tri-State's staple summer events takes place every Friday on Fountain Square. The MidPoint Indie Summer Series features musical acts from around the world, including a few from our own backyard.

This week's bands include Orgone, The Cliftones and Eclipse Movement. The event is free and makes for a great night out downtown with friends or the whole family.

Find out more here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/midpoint-indie-summer-series-lineup-announced) .

7. The Wedding Singer

It’s the closest thing Cincinnati has to “Hey, my dad’s got a barn — let’s put on a show.” In this case, “Dad” is Tim Perrino, the barn is Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, and this year’s show is The Wedding Singer, a piece of 1985 fluff.

But it’s fluff that high school kids from all over Greater Cincinnati will have a blast pulling off as this summer’s production for Cincinnati Young People’s Theatre, which has been doing this with Perrino in charge for 30 years, engaging more than 2,000 teens in onstage fun.

Get details on the show here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/onstage-the-wedding-singer) .

8. Color NOW! exhibit

Phyllis Weston Gallery’s Color NOW! also features Cincinnati colorists from the recent past. This smart inclusion promises to elevate the show from an exhibition to an education. Compare and contrast paintings by late modernists Harry Reisiger and Jens Jensen with the work of 2012 Art Academy graduate Merritt Johnson, incoming AAC student Max Unterhaslberger and photographer Diana Duncan Holmes.

Find out more here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/art-color-now) .

9. Master Pieces 6 at Manifest Gallery

What’s going on in the halls of ivy? Those halls specifically turned over to artists pursuing master’s degrees? Manifest Gallery gives a look each year with Master Pieces 6, presenting works by graduate students and recent master’s graduates in this country and elsewhere. Sculpture takes a larger role than usual this year, amounting for nearly a third of the works and including Matthew O’Brien’s “Replica,” a high-spirited treatment of components of a chair.

Two Cincinnatians made the cut for this year’s show: Joanne Easton, 2011 master’s degree recipient from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and James Schenck, 2012 master’s degree recipient from the University of Cincinnati.

Other things to do in the Tri-State:

Northside’s newest joint, Django Western Taco, serves up dynamic, eclectic Southwestern food and drinks in a minimalist, late-night bar setting that’s also great for hanging out with the family.

Read CityBeat's review here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/django-western-taco-screaming-tacos-silent-ds) .