Holiday Season in Dayton, Ohio (Hours & Events)

BONNETT'S BOOK STORE will be closed on Thanksgiving but right back at it on Friday, as usual, from Noon-8p (or later, call if you're nearby 937-228-1222). We'll be closing at 5p on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and return to our regular hours of Mon-Sat, Noon-8p on other days during and after the Holidays.

Naturally, I can't know EVERYTHING that's going on, but here's a heads-up on the things that have recently piqued my interest, including special holiday hours and events around downtown and in the Oregon District.

DERAILED HAIR SALON is taking appointments on Wednesday 11/24, so you can get your last minute 'do done in time to show off your hotness at your Thanksgiving gatherings. 937-222-3910 for appointments and more info.

WILEY'S COMEDY CLUB  - Wednesday 11/24 @ 8p "Comics Come Home" show features 10 national performers home for the holiday, all for the low low price of $5.00! You do the math. What a DEAL! Check with them for New Year's Eve Party info.

THE DUBLIN PUB features Spungeworthy on Wednesday night and will open at 6p on Thanksgiving with live acoustic music in the evening from Nick Mitchell.

BLIND BOB'S will open at 8p on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Closed Christmas Eve. Check with them if you want to know more about their New Year's Eve plans.

Happy Birthday BOULEVARD HAUS! Open Christmas Eve until 8p. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Days.


GRANDE ILLUMINATION & CHILDREN'S PARADE take place Friday 11/26 4-9p Musical acts will perform on the main stage on Courthouse Square and Dayton's tree goes live at 7:45p. Be there by 7:30p to get your "magic glasses" to enhance the tree lighting ceremony. The Children's Parade takes place immediately following the tree lighting.

LAS AMERICAS, a Puerto Rican/South American eatery near the Trolley Stop has extended it's hours. Check them out to add some spice to your holiday dining. Tue-Fri 11a-8p; Sat 8a-8p, Sun 9a-1p

FIRST FRIDAY is Dec 3, 5-10p at creative venues all around downtown Dayton. Check out some truly special and unique gift selections, and be inspired by the creativity of a wide variety of new art and artists.
5th Street Clayworx will be taking non-perishable food donations for the Food Bank during First Friday.

SANTA PUB CRAWL Benefiting USMC TOYS FOR TOTS is Sat, Dec 11, 6p-2a as follows:
Oregon Express, 336 E. Fifth St.: 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St.: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Tumbleweed Connection, 454 E. Fifth St.: 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Trolley Stop, 530 E. Fifth St.: 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Ave.:  10:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Bar Tiki, 261 Wayne Ave.: 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Newcom’s, 418 E. Fifth St.: 12:30 a.m. to closing

LET THE HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES BEGIN!

Hauntfest 2010 info

A lot of folks still refer to the annual Oregon District Halloween Party in Dayton, Ohio by it's older (and more fun) name, Boo-N-Brew or Boo and Brew. For a few years now it has officially been called Hauntfest. Now that's out of the way. Here's the skinny -

Hauntfest is on Saturday, October 30th (or 30st*) and is an all-ages event. Minors must be accompanied by adults. You must be 21 years of age or older to purchase drink tickets and consume alcohol.

• 5 PM - E 5th St between Patterson Blvd & Wayne Ave, including the 5th & Wayne intersection will be closed to traffic so Hauntfest set-up may commence.
• 7 PM - Hauntfest Opens! Admission is $5.00 until 10 PM.
• 7 PM-1 AM - Be immortalized! Strike a pose and smile and/or snarl for the cameras.
• 10 PM - Admission to Hauntfest increases to $10.00
• 12 AM Midnight - Beer ticket sales end. Stock up on tickets early!
• 12:30 AM - Beer trucks close. It's a party! Share any extra tickets with your friends!
• 1 AM - Hauntfest officially ends. Get thee home, or to thy favorite tavern. And don't forget your Designated Driver!

Enjoy!

*In troubled economic times, money saving efforts are always a good idea. A little was saved this year by re-using last year's street banners. The date on the banners was corrected by painting a zero over the number 1 to make 31 become 30. Unfortunately, the suffix on the dates wasn't corrected to go along with the numbers, so at least some of the banners read "Oct 30st" instead of "Oct 30th". Just one insignificant and slightly humorous way that too much cost-cutting can go wrong. Which reminds me... Please, vote YES on Issue 9 to renew existing Montgomery County Human Services funding. Voting No will only serve to increase hardships on those with special needs (mental and physical help, employment services, etc) of all ages - the loss of such help and services will have a ripple effect throughout the Miami Valley. Vote Yes on Issue 9. If you think things are tough now, wait until this existing help comes to a screeching halt. Vote YES on Issue 9, the Montgomery County Human Services Levy Renewal.

Calling all Santa Clauses, Elves, Reindeer, etc...

SANTA PUB CRAWL
and COSTUME CONTEST
Saturday 12/12/09, 6:00p-2:00a
WEAR A COSTUME for NO COVER CHARGE at the bars!

Benefiting the United States Marine Corp "Toys for Tots" program
and Montgomery County Children's Services

Bring a $10.00+ new toy (no wrapped gifts please) OR make a $10.00+ donation at Dublin Pub (6:00p-7:30p) or the The Trolley Stop (7:30p-8:30p) to join in. If you've dressed in the Holiday Spirit you can take part in the Costume Contest at Blind Bob's (8:30p-10:00p)

BTW, I'll have my camera handy if anyone wants to stop in at Bonnett's and have a picture taken on their way to the costume contest.

More info below this 2009 Santa Pub Crawl Preview courtesy of Dayton Access Television (DATV)

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If you're up to it, after the costume contest, your next stop is The Tumbleweed Connection [aka Tumbleweed or The 'Weed] (10:0p-11:00p). After that it's The Oregon Express (11:00p-Midnight) and for the die-hard it's on to George Newcom's Tavern [aka Newcom's] or Ned Pepper's Bar & Grill [aka Ned's] (Midnight-2:00a)

It doesn't matter if you're a Grinch, a Who from Whoville, Ebenezer Scrooge, a Christmas Spirit, Jack Skellington, Santa Claus, Oogie Boogie, Frosty the Snowman, Snow Miser, Heat Miser, Rudolf the Red-Nosed or any of dozens of Reindeer and Elves, this is gonna be a good time for all!

For more information on this and other Dayton events visit these official sites:
The Oregon Arts District website
The Downtown Dayton Partnership

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'll be closed for the holiday, but back to normal on Friday, that is; Monday-Saturday, Noon-8pm, closed Sundays.

If you have time on Friday, be sure to partake of the Dayton Holiday Festival from 4-9pm on Courthouse Square. The tree is set to light up at 7:45pm. It's a great opportunity for holiday fun photos! Stop and say hello on your way down.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend! :-)

A collection of Hauntfest 2009 photos now online

From 2009 Hauntfest

http://picasaweb.google.com/khbonnett/2009Hauntfest?feat=directlink

Hauntfest on 5th 2009 (formerly Boo-N-Brew) in the historic Oregon District of Dayton, OH

First Friday Full Moon - keep your pants on

This is a link to my personal blog.

First Friday (9-4-09) is a Full Moon. I'm fond of Lunar photography and I thought it might be fun to try and photograph busy urban scenes including the full moon. Come on down and give it a try. Feel free to stop in here at Bonnett's and say Hi. I'll probably be trapped inside all night, but I'd love to see what you come up with.

I've created a flickr group for anyone who wants to share their work afterwards.

Keep Your Pants On! First Friday Full Moon, Dayton, OH
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kypo/

Have fun!

FIRST FRIDAY Tomorrow Night 5p-10p

With all the Scrabble excitement I nearly forgot about First Friday. Come downtown and enjoy what promises to be a beautiful evening in the Oregon District. :-)

Bonnett's Directory of Dayton's "Oregon District"

The other day I posted a list of places to go and things to do on East Fifth Street. I mistakenly left out a few of our friends on Wayne Ave. (coming from the Convention Center, turn right at Fifth & Wayne):

• Easterling Portrait Studios - (you need a Team portrait to commemorate the Championship)
  
• Kendall Printing - (Wayne & Van Buren - need to make copies of your awards for friends and family?)
  
• Coco's Bistro - (a great place to eat and relax)

Also, one BIG update! Our friends at Derailed Hair Salon are mentioned in the August 2009 issue of ELLE for their participation in the magazine's "Best Hair in America" poll, in which ELLE sought out the most requested celebrity hair styles across the U.S. of A. Stop by and say "Hi".

Finally, here's a (renamed) link back to the original post with the majority of East Fifth Street attractions:

• =[BONNETT'S]= Quickie Tour of Dayton, Ohio's Oregon Historic & Arts District

Enjoy your stay in Dayton!

Oh, one more thing... The Oregon District is Dayton's oldest neighborhood and features a lot of excellent photo ops.

Not your average dictionary

If you're a word junkie you've already got the standard reference books, and we do, too. Here are a few titles you might not have stumbled upon - available now at Bonnett's, just a few blocks walk East of the Dayton Convention Center (we're across the street from a Goodwill store):

10 Minute Guide to Building Your Vocabulary
Dictionary of Geological Terms (3rd Ed.) prepared by the American Geological Institute
Dictionary of Word Origins
Getting Your Words' Worth - Discovering and Enjoying Phantonyms, Gramograms, Anagrams and Other Fascinating Word Phenomena
The Joy of Vocabulary - An Advanced Guide to Mastering New Words
Names & Nicknames of Places & Things - An A-t0-Z compendium of culture
Phonetics [because sometimes it helps to sound out a word]
Super Word Power - More entertaining ways to enrich your laguage skills.
Tuttle Dictionary of New Words Since 1960 (1991 edition)
Webster's New Explorer Medical Dictionary
and, of course, much, much more...

Bonnett's Books & The Oregon Historic & Arts District

SCRABBLE® is a word game.
Bonnett's is a book store.
We'd make a great team!

We'll be open extra hours during the National Championship, including special Sunday hours, but it will depend somewhat on the flow of business. Call us before you make a special trip down, just in case.

Bonnett's is just a short walk from the Dayton Convention Center. When you leave the Convention Center main entrance just turn right and head down Fifth Street. On the way you'll find some Dayton legends:

[We hope you'll enjoy your time in Dayton for the National SCRABBLE Championship. To help you find your way around we've got a list here with links of places to go and things to do during your down time. As always, call ahead to help avoid any disappointments.]

• The Neon Movies (would you like a cold beer with your popcorn?)
• Smokin' Bar-B-Que (gooood stuff - I go for the pulled pork sandwich)
• Gem City Records (music, DVDs - check out the USED bins)

If you cut through Gem City Records' parking lot you'll find

• Jay's Seafood on Sixth Street (fine seafood and more at great prices) and
• Thai 9 on Brown Street (excellent Thai food, sushi, and 9 levels of spicy, I stick to a 4 or 5)

or stay on Fifth to visit

• The Oregon Express at 5th & Brown (free pizza Friday happy hour, live music)

turn right on Brown Street to find

• Thai 9's front entrance
• Color of Energy Art Gallery (white walls, great energy, unique art)
  
• (turn right again for the front of Jay's Seafood and Powers Photography & Framing)
  

• Pacchia Cafe & Restaurant (nice meals or a cuppa and a danish, good stuff)
• CHASE ATM
  

across Fifth Street

• Cafe Boulevard & Le Monde (fine dining & cocktail bar, respectively)

meanwhile, back on this side...

• 5th St. Wine& Deli (sandwiches, snacks, beer, wine, cigarettes, etc.)
• Newcom's Tavern (a night club named for Dayton's first tavern)
• Blind Bob's Tavern (burgers & beers? stop in here! oh yeah, LIVE BAND Karaoke!!!)
• Jazzy Java (for coffee and a jam session, even poetry)
• Oregon Smoke Shop (simple and extravagant smoking implements and accessories)
  
• Feathers Vintage (for all the things you don't yet know you want)
• Exotic Fantasies (how many points for FREAKY? get yours on! Adults Only)

look across the street to find

• Ned Pepper's & The Hole in the Wall (party bar, billiards, darts, simple & sweet)

and back over here

• Glenn Scott's Tattoo Team (did you win your match, wanna remember it always?)
• Tumbleweed Connection (New Bar Smell, reborn like a phoenix from a February fire!)

again, look to the other side of Fifth

• The Annex (more for Adults Only)

and back over here...

• 464 on Fifth (Adults Only, catering to same-sex couples)

and over there...

• Goodwill (forgot to bring a belt, tie, shoes, or little black dress for the awards ceremony?)

and back again...

• BONNETT'S BOOK STORE (502 E 5th - You've finally made it! Stop and look around)
• Practice Yoga on Fifth (504 E 5th - in case the tournament is totally stressing you out)
• Derailed Hair (506-½ E 5th - spruce up for the awards ceremony)
• Gallery 510 on Fifth (508 & 510 E 5th - (ever changing art gallery and classes too!)
• Sterling Studio - (511 E 5th - specialty, handcrafted jewelry, knick-knacks, stones)

across the street you'll find

• Link Gallery (from blown glass to sketches, items for all tastes)
• Goloka Gallery (always something new and interesting)
• Ohio Budokan Karate, Sensei Jim Rodriguez (to balance mind, body, and spirit)
  

and back again (are you getting dizzy yet?)

• The Trolley Stop (a great place to chill-out with a brew, friends, food, plus live music)

which way to turn, where to go? venture down the side of the Trolley Stop on Clay Street to find

• Urban Krag Indoor Climbing Center (125 Clay St - just what it says, inside an old church, cool!)
  

back to the Trolley Stop and across Fifth Street again

• Sloopy's (dancing, party bar/night club, if you can squeeze in the door)
  

and the adventure continues across Wayne Avenue

• The Dublin Pub (Perfect Pints of Guinness and great food too)
• China Buffet (it's a buffet, full of Chinese food, plus soft-serve ice cream cones)
• Franco's Ristorante Italiano (wine, great food, an excellent wind-down meal)

Now turn around and do it all again on the way back! ;-)

The possibilities are nearly endless! Have a great time and good luck in the Championship!

Julia Child finds & more

We've always got a great selection of cookbooks featuring styles and recipes from all over the world. Since the new movie "Julie & Julia" is coming out soon I thought I'd mention a few of the related items you can find on our shelves right now.


"In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs" by Julia Child

[from the cover] "She invites 26 great cooks from across the country into her own kitchen, cooks with them, and unearths their secrets. And for the home cook she details 150 superb recipes, full of the exciting new flavors of American cooking today."






"Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" by Julia Child

[from the cover] "Essential techniques and recipes from a lifetime of cooking."








"La Cuisine de France" by Mapie, the Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec

(translated by Charlotte Turgeon) [from the cover] "The MODERN French Cookbook"









And, for those just getting started, or those who would like a refresher course, we have "The Beginner's Cookbook" with chapters on Nutrition, Preparation, Methods, Utensils, Pantry supplies, Herbs & Spices, and a wide range of recipes on which to try out your skills.

We've got a great selection of books about grilling, tailgating, picnics, and other outdoor eating fun. And don't forget parties! There are cocktails, appetizers, salads, soups, international foods, vegetarian dishes, and desserts to consider.



This list covers a lot of ground, but if you come take a look you'll find a lot of great cooking ideas for which I haven't room to mention in one blog post. Come on down and look around.

Mon - Sat, Noon - 8 PM

New Bar Smell? The Tumbleweed is OPEN

The Tumbleweed Connection bar re-opened it's doors today after a terrible fire in mid-February.
Stop in and welcome them back!

I stopped in for a PBR with my son. Crappy phonecam pic available here.

Fearsome First Friday

It was a big night for Horror, Thrillers, Hard-boiled fiction, and similar DVDs. But now, it's time to wrap up and head for home. We'll be open again tomorrow (July 4th, 2009) from Noon until 5pm... maybe later if there are enough people around.

Have a happy and SAFE Independence Day.

The dead walk the streets of Dayton

As I promised earlier, here are a few photos of the zombie walk that took place on 5th Street. I don't know if anyone did a head count but there were certainly hundreds of the 'undead' shuffling, lurching, and staggering through the Oregon District late Friday night.
I'm not the biggest fan of horror films. I've seen my share of zombie flicks, including a showing of "Night of the Living Dead" for high school English credit in a Film Criticism class. My favorites are the lighter fare, "Return of the Living Dead", the "Evil Dead" films, and "Shaun of the Dead".

Sometime in 2008 Forbes magazine declared Dayton, Ohio to be among the nations fastest dying cities. I'm not sure if there was an underlying purpose to this parade of corpses, but if Forbes was correct there certainly couldn't have been a better place for it to happen. Dayton's history is rife with innovation and invention. No one here believes Dayton to be 'terminal', so, perhaps this corpse-capade is one way to express the down-but-not-out situation at this point in time. It's worth noting that event planners called for and included fighters of the undead, heroes of the living.
The zombies stopped traffic, tormented drivers, followed buses, drooled the blood of recent victims, dropped body parts, and even spat green zombie venom... whatever that is, leaving telltale signs of their passing all along the way. It was a fun sight to see but if such an event takes place again it would be worth a few minutes of the organizers time to ask participants to recall a bit of the decorum one hopes they had while among the living. The wedding guests of the "Corpse Bride" or the ghostly couple from "Beetle Juice" would make a fair example of the polite undead.

As I said before, this was fun to watch, and, as a haunted house veteran*, I'm even inclined to participate, but as an Oregon District businessman I must say, let's not 'bloody up' the ATMs, sidewalks, doors, windows, and walls. Out-of-town visitors (of which we have more than you might expect), who don't know what's up, might not know fake blood from the real thing when it's left to dry in public spaces overnight. That kind of image isn't at all helpful to a 'dying city'.

*Northmont Jaycees for a large part of the 1980s.

Urban Nights Photos (May 15, 2009)

The latest of the Urban Nights featured another good time in the Oregon District. This short slideshow features some of the photos I was able to take. Naturally, I had to stick pretty close to the shop. These images feature the Nick Kizirnis Band and various views around the Ware Block. Check the list of links below the slideshow and be sure to look for their blogs and popular social networks. Links to our Picasa photo gallery, Facebook, and MySpace are located in the sidebar.



Downtown Dayton Partnership - URBAN NIGHTS

Loretta Puncer's GALLERY 510 on Fifth

DERAILED HAIR SALON on MySpace

PRACTICE YOGA on Fifth

DOLCESSA GELATO, PANINI, ESPRESSO on Facebook

NICK KIZIRNIS BAND / NICKY KAY

URBAN NIGHTS - Come on out, there's no rain in sight!

The weather's great, the time is right, come downtown for Urban Nights!

OK, it's a little cloudy out, but that would've ruined my rhyme, and it's not raining yet. I think it'll hold off.

Bonus! The Dolcessa Gelato cart has returned for the event. You have to try this stuff! It's outside the Ware Block Building near Bonnett's Books, Practice Yoga, Derailed Salon, and Gallery 510 Fine Art.

Art Galleries, Great Food, Live Performances, City Life Statues, Light Up Dayton Photo-contest Winners, and yes... there's even a Dayton Dragons game tonight! And of course, don't forget to stop in Bonnett's to see the latest arrivals!

Welcome HAMVENTION; Check this out!

For a good time after Hamvention hours check out Fifth Street in Dayton's Oregon Arts/Historic District (aka the Oregon District) for food and fun that is uniquely Dayton.

Friday is Urban Nights in downtown Dayton. We'll be open until 10 PM for this event. Urban Nights is a celebration of downtown offerings. Some of our favorite destinations are on Fifth Street, park once and it's walking distance to all these Dayton originals (in no particular order):

(Search for these businesses on Google, Facebook, MySpace, etc., for up-to-date information & hours.)

• Oregon Express; FREE PIZZA (with purchase) for Friday Happy hour, live music later.
• The Trolley Stop Bar; good food, live music, and a rotating selection of quality drafts.
• Blind Bob's Tavern; the new place on 5th, for a juicy burger selection and more.
• Smokin' BBQ; try the pulled pork sandwich, or perhaps fried bologna is your mood.
  
• The Dublin Pub; excellent Irish stew, 'Perfect Pints' of Guinness, and Irish pub charm.
• Thai 9; Nine levels of 'hot' for your meal, excellent menu
  
• 5th Street Wine & Deli; great sandwiches, snacks, candy, plus carry-out beer & wine.
• Pacchia; fine dining with drinks, jazz, and a coffee shop.
  
• Café Boulevard/Le Monde; fine dining/bar.
• Jay's Seafood & Steaks; not on Fifth, but right next door. Excellent fare.
• Franco's Italian Ristorante; Italian fine-dining.
  
• Shaneak's; a quality food cart for burgers and more.
• China Buffet; a Chinese buffet.
  
• Newcom's Tavern; bar/night club.
  
• Ned Pepper's/The Hole in the Wall; bar/night club.
• Sloopy's; dance club/bar.
• VEX; dance club/bar.
• Feathers Vintage; clothing, knick-knacks, electronics, a great place for unusual gifts.
• Gem City Records; batteries, accessories, plus new & used CDs, DVDs, and LPs.
  
• The Neon Movies; independent/art house theater (2 screens).
• Jimmy Modern; vintage modern furniture, art, and more.
• Exotic Fantasies; batteries, adult novelties, and much more.
  
• and, of course, Bonnett's Used Book Store, vintage comic & magazines, recent novels, collectible & rare books, classic erotica, & more.

Also check out "A World A'Fair" at the Dayton Convention Center all weekend long. It's a celebration of cultural diversity featuring live performances, food, and arts & crafts from around the world.

We hope to see you this weekend.

Bonnett's Hours:
Friday: Noon - 10 PM for Urban Nights (normally Noon-8 PM)
Saturday: Noon - 8 PM
Sunday: Closed

Monsters of Burlesque

A bit of Burly-Q is on the way to Gilly's. Click the link to visit the "Monsters of Burlesque" web site where you'll find a link to their MySpace page.

Monsters of Burlesque
Home: "Wednesday, April 29th: Dayton
Gilly's, 132. S Jefferson Street, show at 8:00"

Tumbleweed Connection final update

During the fire, smoke filled the building. Water is everywhere. The roof at the rear of the building is gone.

I didn't learn if the front roof is damaged. Some smoke damage is visible above the balcony in the top and middle photos. A fire truck extension can be seen in the middle photo, behind the building.

The bottom photo was taken from a nearby roof behind the Tumbleweed and shows a couple of DFD vehicles including the extension.

In case you didn't know, the Tumbleweed had been serving really good breakfasts and lunches for some time. Our father, Walter, had been breakfast/lunch regular there for a long time.

Our friends and family celebrated my son, Ian's, 21st birthday at the Tumbleweed.

I don't get out much, but I've had a decent list of memorable times at the Weed with my friends and family.

We don't know the full extent of the damages or how things will go from here but, we all hope for the best and look forward to the possibility of many more good times at The Tumbleweed Connection in the future.