Thanksgiving Weekend Scavenger Hunt Provides Family-Friendly Fun

Thanksgiving Weekend Scavenger Hunt

Once the turkey is eaten and the parade is over, what can you do with the rest of your holiday weekend? How about a fun and challenging scavenger hunt that takes you exploring through four Northern Kentucky neighborhoods?

The Finders Keepers Thanksgiving Weekend Scavenger Hunt is perfect for a family, couple or group of friends. With your Code Kit, you’ll have everything you need for up to four players. You can do the hunt any time between Thanksgiving morning and the evening of Sunday November 27th.

What the Hunt Entails

Put on your spectacles and thinking caps because the puzzles require sharp eyes and a clever mind. There are four neighborhoods included in the hunt: downtown Covington, MainStrasse Village, historic downtown Newport and Bellevue’s Fairfield Avenue entertainment district. Each neighborhood has several puzzles to solve, mostly based on the public art and architecture you’ll encounter.

You’ll find clues, crack codes and test your brain as you solve the puzzles and do the photo challenges. Submit your answers when you’re done, and you could win art from local artists and prizes from NKY businesses.

The puzzles are intended for smarty pants adults and kids ages 12 and up. Younger kids can help spot the clues and play in the park and open spaces included on the hunt.

Registration for Finders Keepers closes on November 18, so don’t delay. Reserve your Code Kit here. Proceeds help support the arts in NKY.

NKY Finder's Keepers Scavenger Hunt Flyer with Website — NKY Finders Keepers Scavenger Hunt Flyer

Jill Morenz is the Director of the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

Covington’s Spooky Secrets Revealed During Walking Tours

The Spooky Secrets Walking Tours

Covington has a rich history and parts of it are pretty spooky. To celebrate the Halloween season, two local women are teaming up to share these creepy secrets with the curious.

The Spooky Secrets walking tours are around 90 minutes long and start on Covington’s riverfront. They end in the MainStrasse Village neighborhood, where guests can remain for dinner or drinks or, if they prefer, they can walk back to the starting point with the tour guide.

Spooky Secrets Tour Flyer in Covington, KY — Spooky Secrets Tour – Covington, KY

Kathy Witt and Jill Morenz worked together to uncover the stories they share on the tours. Kathy Witt is the author of Secret Cincinnati, which highlights several dozen weird, wonderful or obscure places in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. Jill Morenz, Director of the NKY Public Arts Network, guides the tours.

What You Will See

During the 2-mile walk, you’ll learn the real identity of the Grey Lady of Carneal House and meet Captain Mary B. Greene, who meddled in the lives of her friends after she died. You’ll picture the chaos of a ravaged cemetery and find out why dogs won’t enter the basement of a former hospital. You’ll peek inside mystical and creepy shops and hear gory tales hiding behind things you see every day.

You will also receive a signed copy of Secret Cincinnati, as well as a special bookmark that serves as a checklist for the locations included in the book.

Tickets and Dates

If you love ghost stories, you’ll enjoy the Spooky Secrets tour! Individual tickets are $29.99 and include one book.

A pair of tickets costs $39.99 and includes one book for the two people to share. See available dates and purchase tickets here.

Jill Morenz is the Director of the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk: A Celebration of Art and Bourbon

In 2019, two Northern Kentucky organizations, the Catalytic Fund and the NKY Chamber of Commerce, organized a project that brought together businesses with artists to create painted bourbon barrels.

The barrels are coming back this month in a celebration of the people, places and passions of our region. The 100 barrels were created by local artists for sponsors who worked with them on the designs. The result is a stunning display of public art that will debut this Thursday, July 21.

Roll Out the Barrels is a public preview of all 100 barrels before they go on display throughout the river cities on the NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk. To join in and see all the barrels together, come to Newport on the Levee on Thursday July 21 at 7:00pm.

Once the Walk goes live, you can find the route at www.NKYBourbonBarrels.com.

The art on the barrels celebrates Northern Kentucky’s people, places and passions, depicting bourbon, horses, landmarks and more. It showcases the incredible local talent and the support that the business community gives to the arts.

The barrels will be on display through next August. When you “take the walk,” you will follow the barrels through the entertainment districts of Northern Kentucky, discovering fun restaurants, bars and shops along the way.

Take the Walk at www.NKYBourbonBarrels.com.

Jill Morenz is the Director of Community Initiatives and Communications for the Catalytic Fund and also runs the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

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Guided Art Walks (With Extras!)

There’s a new way to explore the world-class public art in Covington and Newport this summer: take one of the free guided art walks being offered by NKY Public Arts Network—with fun extras built in.

Jill Morenz, who leads the tours for the Network and the Catalytic Fund, explained that she wanted to introduce guests not only to the murals and statues, but also to the shops, restaurants and bars that make the neighborhoods so special. She is partnering with meetNKY to offer these tours to both residents and tourists.

For example, the Sweet and Spicy Tour begins with treats from Golden Gelato in Covington and winds through the downtown neighborhood for about ¾ of a mile. Guests will munch on flavored pretzels from Yankee Doodle Deli as they get an up-close look at the murals and art-related businesses in the area. The tour ends at Rich’s Proper Food and Drink for a spicy cocktail.

The Newport Art and Architecture Tour includes the murals, statues and buildings of historic Monmouth Street, Newport on the Levee and the approach to the Purple People Bridge. The other Newport tour, called Sharks, Cannon and Bell, includes some history of the courthouse, as well.

Other tours include browsing time at local galleries, a behind-the-scenes look at the Goebel Park Glockenspiel and some incredible mosaics tucked here and there in the river cities.

To learn more and reserve a spot on one of the free tours, please visit the NKY Art Tours website.

Jill Morenz is the Director of Community Initiatives and Communications for the Catalytic Fund and also runs the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

*All photos taken by Jill Morenz

Everything Cincy is your one-stop shop to Local Events. Local Deals. Local Jobs.

The Bourbon Barrels are Back in NKY!

Bourbon Barrel Walk Flyer

Bourbon barrels + original art + NKY’s city streets = NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk

In 2019, the NKY Bourbon Barrel Project placed more than 100 custom painted bourbon barrels around the rivers cities. This year, the project is coming back as the NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk, and the organizers are seeking both sponsors and artists.

As the “Gateway to Bourbon Country,” Northern Kentucky is steeped in the history and appreciation of bourbon. The Bourbon Barrel Walk will highlight the region’s bourbon connection, as well as the fun entertainment destinations in the river cities.

Local businesses and organizations will sponsor the bourbon barrels. They will then be matched up with local artists to create custom designs for the barrels. Once the barrels are complete, they will be displayed on city streets so that they form a path that takes people from the river through the business and entertainment districts of Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue and Dayton.

Sponsoring businesses receive a discount if they are a member of the NKY Chamber of Commerce. The project is being coordinated by Jill Morenz, who directs the NKY Public Arts Network for the Catalytic Fund.

To sponsor a barrel, simply visit the website and fill out the sponsorship form there. This is a great way to show support for the arts and the businesses in the entertainment districts, as well as helping to create a piece of original public art.

Artists who would like to apply for a bourbon barrel commission are encouraged to apply on the website. By painting a barrel, they will gain valuable exposure to business owners, residents and visitors, while helping to build the “Walk,” giving people a fun way to discover new shops, restaurants and bars.

Sponsorship and artist applications close on April 30. The Bourbon Barrel Walk will be completed in late July. For more information, please visit the NKY Bourbon Barrel Walk website.

Jill Morenz is the Director of Community Initiatives and Communications for the Catalytic Fund and also runs the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

Art Walks in NKY

If you’re looking for something to do on a nice, perhaps chilly day, how about taking a free, self-guided tour of public art in the river cities?

You’ll explore the eclectic urban neighborhoods, discovering beautiful buildings, learning history and examining the world class art on display.

The NKY Art Tours are an initiative of the Public Arts Network, which promotes the arts in Northern Kentucky. You’ll be taken behind the scenes of each art piece, learning about the artist, the imagery and the installation.

Living Mural

On the downtown Covington tour, you’ll visit one of the first “living murals’ in the US. Called Pennies from Heaven, it was painted by a world-famous artist group, The London Police. It depicts a dog spaceship surrounded by characters that the artists call Lads. You’ll learn the identity of the man inside the spaceship and why the living wall component was added.

Captain Greene

Taking the Riverside Drive Statue Tour, at the confluence of the Licking and Ohio Rivers in Covington, you’ll meet Mary B. Greene, the first female licensed riverboat captain on the Ohio. She stands with an instrument called a telegraph, but it’s not the kind used to send a Morse Code message. She was known for her entertaining stories of life on the river and, according to local ghost stories, her influence continued after her death.

Flight of the Garner Family

You’ll walk in the footsteps of historic figures on the Covington Black History Tour, reading stories both uplifting and tragic. Among the tragic is the tale of Peggy Garner and her attempt to escape slavery by walking across the frozen Ohio River. Her flight has been immortalized in a mural on the floodwall near the Roebling Bridge.

As you view the art on the tours, you’ll come upon many cozy restaurants to grab a meal or a drink. You’ll also discover interesting shops and charming parks along the way. NKY Art Tours are a fun way to spend a day in the river cities.

Celebrate Halloween, NKY Style

Northern Kentucky can be a spooky place. With a long history and neighborhoods that date back to the Civil War, the region holds many tales of roaming ghosts and gruesome events that will send chills up your spine.

Here is a sampling of what awaits you here, as the weather grows colder, and the spirits come out to play. Links to all the events can be found here.

Nightmare ships and haunted fields

The USS Nightmare docks in Newport this time of year. It’s one of the area’s longest haunted tours (over 30 minutes), inviting brave and foolhardy guests to explore two full decks of pure horror.

Sandy Acres Farm is a charming place to visit in the daytime. At night, though, it gets a lot creepier. Come for a hayride through haunted fields—if you dare.

For kids

To get the kiddos involved in something more than just trick-or-treating, take them to the free Halloween Hoopla at Behringer-Crawford Museum. They can do a seasonal craft, march in the costume parade and more.

For fans of LEGO, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center is hosting Bricks, Tricks and Treats, a LEGO convention with a Halloween theme.

Talk to dead people

Falcon Theatre and Dinsmore Homestead Museum have teamed up to create a rare opportunity to talk with six costumed actors who are portraying people from the Homestead’s past. All the characters are based on their actual lives, letters and journals. It’s kind of like a historic version of “Sixth Sense.”

Take a spooky tour

Tickets are still available for the Halloween date of the Spooky Secrets Tour. This 2-mile walk past haunted houses, creepy historic sites and cool shops was created by the author of “Secret Cincinnati” and the writer for the NKY Art Tours website. It’s the perfect way to start your Halloween celebrations.

For more Halloween fun, as well as details on the events listed above, please visit NKY ArtQuest’s Halloween roundup.

About the author:

Jill Morenz is the Director of Community Initiatives and Communications for the Catalytic Fund and also runs the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

Early Learning Fun in NKY

Stories, letters, nature & sensory play appeal to young kids

Northern Kentucky has a wealth of fun learning opportunities for young children. They love to spot letters and identify colors. They can be completely still as they squat down to observe a passing snail or spend hours running, jumping and climbing.

We’ve pulled together many of the ways that our region integrates teachable moments into our environments and encourages curiosity.

Story Walks

Imagine reading the first page of a story with your child while standing under a shady tree in a park. For the second page of the story, you walk together along a path to a sunny flower bed. The third page is located near a playground. As you read the story, you stroll from page to page through the park until the story ends. This experience is called a Story Walk and there are quite a few to be found this summer in Northern Kentucky. Find the entire list here.

Ground Games

Hopping, pointing and laughing are rewarded when kids do the fun activities provided by Read Ready Covington. The organization created large stickers that have been placed in Covington parks, at playgrounds and even inside a laundromat. The stickers are printed with objects and ideas for playful learning. Find them at places like Randolph Park, Devou Park and Leo Foster Ballfield. The stickers don’t last forever, so some of the locations may change as they are removed and replaced.

Alphabet Hunts

As part of its goal to increase the number of kids who start kindergarten ready to read, the City of Covington has installed complete alphabets, in the form of pink and yellow signs, throughout five of its neighborhoods. Each sign has a word (apple, volcano, yarn), an image and the encouragement, “You found a word. Now find another!” Some of the signs have Spanish words, as well.

Families can pick up a free map and passport-style checklist at the city building to start their hunt. When the passport is completed and turned in, the child will receive a free Tshirt.

Nature Encounters

Little kids love to learn about the plants and animals they see in their neighborhood. Two of the top nature educators in the area take it several notches up, providing immersive fun for families.

In Covington, Behringer-Crawford Museum’s NaturePlay is a self-contained, accessible outdoor area that offers kid-sized log cabins and caves, a climbable wooden flatboat, a spot to dig for fossils and gardens planted with native flowers and shrubs.

AJ Jolly Park’s Environmental Education Center in Alexandria is filled with wonders. Kids can get up close and personal with fish and turtles, watch birds flit around nearby branches and even examine the poop from various animals (an exhibit that always leads to giggles). After they’ve learned everything they wanted to know, they can walk the trails outside. The center is open all year and there is always something to see in the surrounding landscape.

Public Libraries

Northern Kentucky residents are fortunate to have such robust early childhood programming and resources available at our local libraries. From story time and science for tots to the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, families can rely on the friendly librarians to engage their children with fun, educational activities. Check out the programs at Boone County, Campbell County and Kenton County.

If you’ve got young kids and you live in NKY, you’re in a good place!

Jill Morenz is the Director of Community Initiatives and Communications for the Catalytic Fund and also runs the NKY Public Arts Network. She is an enthusiastic evangelist for all things NKY.

Artisan Markets in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati area has many markets scattered throughout almost every neighborhood and they all offer a variety of different things for everyone to enjoy! Most of them are outdoors and have plenty of things to engage in for the whole family! A lot of them have local food and support small businesses, while highlighting community involvement! There are a ton of opportunities for artist to sell their work and meet with the public at these markets and we know just the ones to check out this summer!

The City Flea

This urban flea market is a crowd pleaser and is in one of the most beautiful parts of Cincinnati! This market is located in the historic Washington Park right in front of the mesmerizing Music Hall. The market is head once a month and they have dozens of vendors from craft makers to community organizations, and startup businesses. They have anything from vintage wears to contemporary art, and much, much more! Make an entire day out of visiting the City Flea! There is so much to do in the park for kids and adults! The water feature is a perfect way to cool off from the heat and the patio bar is an excellent place to grab a drink and relax!

http://www.thecityflea.com/

Second Sunday on Main

In the art district of Over-the- Rhine you can experience a lively and fun celebration of creativity down Main street on every second Sunday of the month at this stellar market! This market has a wide range of artists and local businesses to support and meet with! The Art Academy of Cincinnati is usually there with their artists, instructing workshops for people to join in on. There are performances, live music, and lots of food trucks to choose from! This market gives off a block party vibe for people of all ages to have a fun time at!

https://secondsundayonmain.org/

Art on Vine

This market started as a class project and evolved into a popular market that showcases artists, craft makers, and many local businesses that we love! The market is at different locations and always keeps you excited for the next one! Some of the locations include Fountain Square and Rhinegeist Brewery.

https://www.artonvinecincy.com/

Second Saturdays at CampSITE

CampSite Sculpture Park is one of our favorite places that hosts community driven events and there markets on Saturdays are absolutely lovely! Explore the park while shopping for local art and supporting small businesses! For more information on how to be a vendor visit their website! http://campsitesculpturepark.com/

Written By: Christen Collins

Season 2 of Beyond the Curb: River City Living – Popular YouTube series showcases NKY homes

When COVID-19 prevented the Catalytic Fund from hosting their in-person Beyond the Curb tours, they instead produced a series of video home tours, featuring a variety of homes in NKY’s urban river cities. Season 2 of the series has kicked off with an episode about a 1920’s house on a ridge in Bellevue.

The ten episodes of this season will give viewers an exclusive peek inside some noteworthy properties, including a landmark building in Covington, an urban gardener’s cottage in Dayton, an “upleveled loft” apartment built inside a former Newport department store and a Ludlow condo with big personality.

Watch the series here. New episodes come out on Fridays. Stay tuned for an in-person tour planned for the fall.

Written By: Jill Morenz