MLK Day celebrations, comedy shows and concerts: Things to do in Cincinnati this week

Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati Enquirer
·7 min read
The 47th Annual Commemorative March to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. last year. This year, the march takes place on Jan. 16. The march starts at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and concludes at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine.
The 47th Annual Commemorative March to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. last year. This year, the march takes place on Jan. 16. The march starts at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and concludes at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine.

Monday, Jan. 16

MLK DAY: King Legacy Celebration, 8 a.m., National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. Continental breakfast followed by performances and speaker. Keynote speaker is Brittany Packnett Cunningham. $50, $25 livestream. Freedomcenter.org/klc23.

MLK DAY: Commemorative March and Prayer Service, 10:30 a.m., Freedom Way, Downtown to Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. Program at noon in Music Hall with MLK Chorale, guest performers and speakers. mlkcoalition.org.

MLK Day: ArtisanFest 513, 12:30-4:30 p.m., Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Celebrate diversity in business at this MLK Day market featuring food vendors, crafters and entertainment. Free. eventbrite.com.

MLK DAY: MLK Day Celebration, 1-2:30 p.m., Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1270 N. Broadway, Lebanon. Hosted by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Coalition of Lebanon. Free. Mlklebanon.org.

MLK DAY: MLK Day Food Drive, 9 a.m.-noon, Lebanon Food Pantry, 190 New St. Mlklebanon.org/food-drive.

RECREATION: Skiing and Snowboarding, daily, Perfect North Slopes, 19074 Perfect Lane, Lawrenceburg. perfectnorth.com.

SPORTS: WWE Monday Night Raw, Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway, Downtown. heritagebankcenter.com.

Tuesday, Jan. 17

COMEDY: Simply Comedy, 9 p.m., Symposium, 2835 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills. Weekly showcase of local comics and out-of-town drop-ins hosted by River Monster Stand Up. Free. eventbrite.com.

FOOD: Wine & Food Series: Jackson Family Wines, 6:30 p.m., Subio at Lytle Park Hotel, 31 Pike St., Downtown. Dinner series features four courses with wine pairings. $149.

MUSEUM: Beyond Bollywood, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Through more than 100 artworks drawn from U.S. museums and private collections, you can explore the representation of dance in the arts from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan region from the 1st to the 21st centuries. Runs Nov. 11-Feb. 5. cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

MUSIC: Music Live at Lunch: Jimmy Leach Jazztet, 12:10 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., Downtown. Free.

Rhiannon Giddens (pictured) and Francesco Turrisi perform at Memorial Hall on Wednesday.
Rhiannon Giddens (pictured) and Francesco Turrisi perform at Memorial Hall on Wednesday.

Wednesday, Jan. 18

MUSIC: Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. memorialhallotr.com.

COMEDY: Pro-Am Night, 7:30 p.m., Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery. $5. gobananascomedy.com.

MUSEUMS: Free As They Want To Be: Artists Committed to Memory, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. Exhibit considers the historic and contemporary role photography and film have played in remembering legacies of slavery and its aftermath. Runs Sept. 30-March 5. Included with admission. $15, $10.50 ages 3-12. freedomcenter.org.

Thursday, Jan. 19

CHARITY: Beefsteak Club Dinner Fundraiser & 2023 Bockfest Painting Unveiling, 7 p.m., Moerlein Lager House, 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown. Benefits Bockfest. Includes dinner buffet, beer, entertainment and limited edition signed print by artist Jim Effler, designer of Bockfest posters. $80. brewingheritagetrail.org.

COMEDY: Luke Capasso & Wendi Furguson, Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery. One night only. gobananascomedy.com.

COMEDY: Clash of the Comics, Funny Bone Comedy Club, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township. liberty.funnybone.com.

LECTURE: Journalism: The Oxygen of Democracy, 7-9 p.m., Voice of America Museum, 8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester. Free, but reservations required. 513-777-0027; admin@voamuseum.org.

ENDING: Dinosaurs of Antarctica, Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate. Exhibition uncovers never-before-seen dinosaur fossils buried beneath the snow and ice and dials back the hands of time to 200 million years ago, when Antarctica was a lush woodland teeming with prehistoric beasts. Runs Oct. 14-Jan. 22. Included with museum admission. $16.50, $12.50 ages 3-12. cincymuseum.org.

POETRY: Nicholas Korn: The Wild Sonnets: Vol. 5, 4 p.m., Art Academy of Cincinnati, Pearlman Gallery, 1212 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. Event features unique format using a tarot-style presentation where audience selects poems that author will read. Copies of book available for sale and signing after the reading. Free admission.

Catch funnyman Desi Banks at Funny Bone Comedy Club Jan. 20-22.
Catch funnyman Desi Banks at Funny Bone Comedy Club Jan. 20-22.

Friday, Jan. 20

COMEDY: Desi Banks, Funny Bone Comedy Club, 7518 Bales St., Liberty Township. Runs Jan. 20-22. liberty.funnybone.com.

ART: Joshua Penrose: Shadow Works, Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Artist works across variety of media informed by the digital domain of sound, video, light and digital automation. Runs Jan. 20-March 5. Free. Cincinnatiarts.org.

ART: Emil Robinson: Evidence, Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Artist seeks spiritual intensity using light, color and form in his work to uncover a nobility in objects that reside in his personal environment. Runs Jan. 20-March 5. Free. Cincinnatiarts.org.

ART: Katherine Colborn: Sheltering in Smoke, Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. In an effort to counter feelings of distance, upheaval and anxiety, artist employs painting as a means of quiet resistance. Runs Jan. 20-March 5. Free. Cincinnatiarts.org.

COMEDY: Matt McCusker, Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery. Runs Jan. 20-21. gobananascomedy.com.

ENTERTAINMENT: Masquerade Murder, 8-10:30 p.m., Luna’s Bar & Grill, 8660 Bankers St., Florence. Dress up in evening wear, ball gowns, Venetian masks and suits for this glamorous murder mystery dinner theater. Includes 3-course meal. Cash bar. Ages 21-up. $50. Eventbrite.com.

The Cincinnati Boat, Sport & Travel Show returns Jan. 20-22 and 25-29.
The Cincinnati Boat, Sport & Travel Show returns Jan. 20-22 and 25-29.

EXPOS: Cincinnati Boat, Sport & Travel Show, 5-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. Continues Jan. 25-29. $15, free ages 11-under. Cincinnatiboatsportandtravelshow.com.

EXPO: Greater Cincinnati Remodeling Expo, noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road. Comprehensive two-weekend expo with innovative displays showcasing latest trends in design and products. Kitchen and bath remodeling, roofing, flooring, home security, insulation, outdoor living designs and more. Runs Jan. 20-22 and Jan. 27-29. $5, free ages under 18.

MUSIC: Brahms & Modern Marvels, 7:30 p.m., Wilks Studio at Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. CSO’s Chamber Players Series.

MUSIC: Winter Jam 2023, Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway, Downtown. With Jeremy Camp, We the Kingdom, Andy Mineo, Disciple, Austin French, NewSong, Anne Wilson.

NIGHTLIFE: Mae Moiselle presents Vaudeville Frolic, 8 p.m., Liberty Exhibition Hall, 3938 Spring Grove Ave., Northside. Variety show featuring local talent in comedy, live music, drag, drama, burlesque and more. $20-$30. Eventbrite.com.

THEATER: Home Brew Theatre VI, The Drama Workshop, 3716 Glenmore Ave., Cheviot. Runs Jan. 20-22. 513-598-8303; thedramaworkshop.org.

Saturday, Jan. 21

COMEDY: Helltown Comedy Showcase: Max Pryce, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m., The Comet, 4579 Hamilton Ave., Northside. $10. bombsawaycomedy.com.

MUSIC: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra: Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Featuring acclaimed violinist Randall Goosby. Sunday’s performance will be livestreamed. cincinnatisymphony.org.

MUSIC: Kentucky Symphony Orchestra: Happy Feet, 7:30 p.m., Greaves Concert Hall, Northern Kentucky University, Nunn Drive, Highland Heights. Diverse collection of symphonic ballet music features compositions from Aaron Copland and William Grant Still. $19-$35. kyso.org.

George Clinton
George Clinton

MUSIC: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Lawrenceburg Event Center, 91 Walnut St., Lawrenceburg.

MUSIC: John McEuen & the Circle Band, Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Clifton.

MUSIC: The Bronson Arroyo Band, Bircus Brewing Co., 322 Elm St., Ludlow.

MUSIC: Vocal Arts Ensemble: Path of Miracles, 7:30 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral, 318 E. Fourth St., Downtown. Conducted by Craig Hella Johnson. Vaecinci.com/events.

MUSIC: Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular, 8 p.m., Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Celebrates the music of Elvis Presley era by era, starring the acclaimed tribute artists Shawn Klush, Ryan Pelton and Riley Jenkins with special guests the Blackwood Quartet, the Fabulous Ambassadors Show Band and the Nashville Dreams. $19.50-up. Cincinnatiarts.org.

Sunday, Jan. 22

SPORTS: Micro Wrestling, 6 p.m., Fowling Warehouse, 2940 Highland Ave., Oakley. The Micro Wrestling Federation is a full-scale, WWE-type event supported by an entire cast under five feet tall. $25. Eventbrite.com.

Have an event you’d like us to know about? Send all the details to calendar@cincinnati.com with “Things To Do” in the subject line.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Things to do in Cincinnati this week: Jan. 16-22