Top 9 things to do in the Cincinnati-area this weekend Feb. 1-3, 2013

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It’s a piece of cake, literally, if you stop by the Main Library at Eighth and Vine streets downtown for a slice of Mardi Gras on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Photo provided.
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Posted: 02/01/2013

CINCINNATI - Looking for something fun to do this weekend? 9 On Your Side has teamed up with CityBeat to give you the top nine picks for Feb. 1-3, 2013.

1. Super Bowl watch parties in the Tri-State

Super Bowl Sunday is a one-size-fits-all event. Whether you’re out to cheer on your team, doing something special with friends or simply out to enjoy the game with the boys, a bevy of local happenings will be taking place this weekend.

9 On Your Side has a list of some of the top happenings taking place in downtown Cincinnati to celebrate Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers.

Check them out here: http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/Super-Bowl-XLVII-watch-parties-in-downtown-Cincinnati

2. Polar Plunge

This year marks the second annual Polar Plunge at Joe's Crab Shack which benefits Special Olympics Programs in Kentucky and Ohio.

A total of six Polar Plunge events will take place throughout the next month which have raised more than $5 million over the years. Last year more than 3,000 participants held raise a total of more than $700,000, which is the highest record of attendance yet.

Participants in the Tri-State raised around $150,000 in 2012.

More than 700 people are expected at event this Saturday, Feb. 2. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event starts at 11 a.m. Participants must raise a minimum of $75 or $50 if under 18 years old.

The pool will be set up in the parking lot of Joe's Crab Shack.

Find out more here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/Annual-Polar-Plunge-at-Joes-Crab-Shack).

3. Bockfest Sausage Queen competition

This weekend marks the beginning of the 2013 Sausage Queen competition for the annual Bockfest parade in downtown Cincinnati. The role of the Sausage Queen is to lead the annual Bockfest Parade by carrying a symbolic Bockwurst sausage tray.

The gender-neutral pageant has several preliminary rounds in local bars before a winner is announced. The first round takes place this Saturday at Arnolds Bar and Grill this Saturday.

Six bars will sponsor a contestant to represent their establishment in the Bockfest Sausage Queen Finals during Bockfest.

Get details here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/bockfest-sausgage-queen-competition-kicks-off-at-arnolds-bar) .

4. Mardi Gras celebration at the Public Library

It’s a piece of cake, literally, if you stop by the Main Library at Eighth and Vine streets downtown for a slice of Mardi Gras on Saturday from 1-4 p.m. Members of The Greater Cincinnati Retail Bakers Association will construct, ice, decorate and serve to the public Ohio’s largest King Cake, amongst other festive activities. That includes two cooking demos, music by the Faux Frenchmen, the crowning of the Mardi Gras King and Queen and displays of the library’s own cookbook collection.

For more information on Saturday afternoon's activities visit http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/public-library-mardi-gras-celebration .

5. Balls Around the Block: Pub crawl for dog lovers

Do you love dogs? Do you love beer? Good news, because both of those enthusiasms will be entertained at the annual Balls Around the Block fundraiser in downtown Cincinnati. Mingle and drink with fellow dog lovers as you begin your journey at the Contemporary Arts Center downtown and “pub crawl” to some of the best bars downtown. Every stop will be only a half hour to ensure that your dog won’t be the one who needs to walk you around by 9 p.m.

To participate, you’ll need to join a team, and you’ll travel from bar to bar with the guidance of a leader or two. Bars on the crawl include Mynt Martini, Cincy’s on Sixth, Play and Righteous Room, to name a few. Wrap it all up at Scene on Walnut Street. Most of the bars are offering drink specials to BATB participants and all of the ticket proceeds benefit to the Fido Field, a free dog park downtown that allows your dogs to play and interact with other dogs while you interact with other dog lovers.

Click here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/event-balls-around-the-block) for details.

6. Comedian Rob Little at the Funny Bone

Detroit native Rob Little used to work at IBM, but finally left the corporate arena in favor of a position in which he was actually excited about taking his job seriously. “It was pretty cool, I sent out this company-wide email,” he explains. “It went to Europe Asia, Africa — I hacked into the system because that was my job, computer programming.”

The email said: “If you aren’t happy here, quit your job and follow your dream.” While Little had made up his mind long before he pressed “send,” his boss was reluctant to let him go.

He performs through Saturday at the Funny Bone on the Levee in Newport. Find out more here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/comedian-rob-little-at-the-funny-bone).

7. Ellis Paul and Kim Taylor at the Redmoor

Modern Folk Pop favorite Ellis Paul is bringing his music to his fans in Greater Cincinnati this weekend, performing Saturday at The Redmoor. Paul’s connection to his fans is well known to music biz observers — his 2010 album, "The Day After Everything Changed," is considered one of the first big “fan-funded” music success stories. Paul raised $100,000 via fan donations for that album (a critical and commercial success) and is currently readying his next fan-funded full-length (due this spring).

The show starts at 8 p.m. with Cincinnati singer/songwriter Kim Taylor, who is also using fan funding to release her next effort, Love’s A Dog."

Get details here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/music-ellis-paul-and-kim-taylor) .

8. Carnegie Center presents "Camelot"

Lerner and Loewe’s tuneful musical about the mythical court of "King Arthur and his Round Table" was the soundtrack 50 years ago for a youthful, energetic American President, John F. Kennedy. With a presidential inauguration just passed, Covington’s Carnegie Center reminds us of those optimistic days with a concert staging of "Camelot."

With accompaniment by conductor Mischa Santora and members of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the show’s glorious score will be performed by Mark Hardy, a Broadway veteran and longtime professor at Northern Kentucky University, as Arthur, and Danielle Knox, another NKU faculty member, as Queen Guinevere.

Click here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/carnegie-center-presents-camelot) for more information.

9. Photography lecture at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Photographer and conceptual artist James Welling has been working in the aforementioned (typically marginalized) disciplines before either were an established part of the contemporary art dialogue. Mentored by the art world’s patron saint of Conceptualism, John Baldessari, and with an oeuvre that has evolved through various formats and processes (from Polaroids to his iconic color photograms) over the past 35 years, Welling’s work ranges from geometric abstractions to investigative photographs of Andrew Wyeth’s living and painting sites.

As part of the FotoFocus ongoing Lecture and Visiting Artist Series, this coming Friday the artist will speak at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Fath Auditorium to kick off the opening of his exhibition.

Visit http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/art-james-welling-lecture for details.

New places to check out:

Even if you’re not a "Downton Abbey" addict, chances are you’ll appreciate the expansive tea selection available at Churchill’s Fine Teas in Findlay Market. Read CityBeat's review here (http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/entertainment/citybeat/tea-time-get-your-downton-abbey-on-with-churchills-fine-teas) .