North Kentucky News

COVINGTON, Ky. – We’re going to assume you know what’s happening across the river on Friday and Saturday. (If not – and this newsletter presents the first you’ve learned of this event – we should probably give serious prizes for your skilled separation from pop culture and daily news.) 

We’ll get to Taylor Swift and the Swifties invasion in a minute, but meanwhile let us assure you that if you plan to remain on the “bold” side of the river this weekend, you will have no trouble finding quality entertainment. From the opening of “Kinky Boots” at The Carnegie to Sunday’s first Independence Day Dog Parade to loads of great music (and more), there’s plenty of fun, cool stuff to do in The Cov.

(Keep in mind, however, that with the air quality issues we’re having right now, and weekend rain forecasts, it will be wise to check for last-minute outdoor event cancellations in the event links for any updates before you set out for your day or evening).

‘Shake it off’ on the dance floor

Yes, 33-year-old singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is a veritable pop culture phenomenon, and she’s bringing her Eras Tour to Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Friday and Saturday. We cannot fathom how this information could have escaped you, considering many have been sipping on “Lavender Haze” brews, weaving friendship bracelets, buying temporary “13” tattoos, and competing in Taylor Swift trivia nights throughout the whole dang region for the last week.

(Just wait until you see the crowds …)

Apparently, the “TSwift Lift” revenue bump (as dubbed by some economists) is predicted to have a $92 million impact in the region. (Insert the Daffy Duck bulging money-eyes GIF.)

Here in The Cov, your journey through Swift’s musical eras begins tonight at the Eras: An All Taylor Swift Dance Party at Madison Live, where you can dance under the mirrorball (see what we just did there?) to Swiftie favorites, like a 10-minute version of “All Too Well.”

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Meanwhile, Braxton Brewing Co. will host a Taylor Swift Themed Holtman’s Pop-Up Donut Shop & Coffee on Friday morning.

Learn fire safety and touch a truck

We know you go to the Covington Farmers Market each Saturday to get great produce and other goods for the coming week, but this weekend you’ll get more while marketing in The Cov.

From 10 a.m. to noon, the Covington Fire Department will be at 3rd & Scott streets for a timely conversation, Learn Firework Safety.

So before you go lighting those sparklers, wheels, or spinners (or bottle rockets, roman candles, and skyrockets that you might have a permit for), stop by and listen to some wise counsel. Oh, and bring the kiddos because they can get their picture taken with a real fire truck.

It’s art any way you slice it

Since the Roman era, food has been a common art motif. One might even argue that the first endorsement of the Mediterranean diet was evidenced in “The Last Supper.” And Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo was best known for creating portrait heads made entirely of produce, flora, and fish.

So it should come as no surprise that a group of artists have been inspired by pizza. (Whether Chicago-style, thin or traditional crust, we cannot say.) 

The E2K Pizza Party Group Art Show is at Earth to Kentucky on Friday and, in keeping with the exhibit’s inspiration, there will be a pizza reception.

Stilettos in a size 16, please

Did you know that a 1999 PBS documentary about a struggling shoe factory in Northamptonshire, England, went on to become a Tony award-winning Broadway musical? ( … And they say no one watches public television.)

The documentary is about a man named Steve Pateman who took over his family’s shoe factory that had been around for more than a century. Struggling with changes in fashion and stiff competition, he had his eye out for new markets. Enter Sue Sheppard, who owned a transgender glamour wear business and suggested that Pateman make stilettos and thigh-high boots in men’s sizes.

Pateman gave it a go and that story (with a little creative license), led to the award-winning Kinky Boots, which starts Friday at The Carnegie. Slip on your best shoes and get a seat.

To ‘dye’ for summer attire

What to wear to all those summer soirees on your calendar? How about a hand-dyed dress, blouse, or scarf that you’ve made yourself?

On Saturday, bring an item of natural material (like 100% cotton, linen, wool, or silk) to the Hellmann Creative Center for an Indigo Dye Party, where the talented folks at Art Equals will teach you how to dye it using Shibori, a Japanese style of resist dyeing that involves folds.

Pawsome patriots on parade

If you have a dog, then you likely know that the seemingly ceaseless boom of fireworks for the coming holiday typically results in dread for them (and you).

You try everything to abate their anxiety: Crank up music, put them in a ThunderShirt, even threaten neighbors; all to no avail as your friend quivers and pants by your side or under the bed.

Fortunately, the good people in Covington Parks & Rec think your dog should be celebrated this weekend, so they’ve planned the City’s first Independence Day Dog Parade on Sunday. It happens at the Goose Girl Fountain in George Steinford Park in MainStrasse Village, and there will be prizes for the most patriotic pups.

So, get the red, white, and blue scarves, collars, leashes, hats, tutus, boots, and harnesses ready, and let your pup prance proudly in The Cov.

If Tarantino played badminton …

On Friday, the stark cold of a Wyoming winter and a cabin full of nefarious characters will be recast with a bunch of architects (and you, if you’re so inclined) playing badminton in The Cov.

The Hateful VIII Shuttlecock Showdown (the name a nod to Tarantino’s 2015 film), is the 8th annual badminton tournament outside Hub+Weber Architects, PLC at 200 W. Pike St.

As tradition dictates, the firm will set up badminton nets on the brick courtyard outside Hub + Weber’s office space (an old train depot) at Pike and Russell streets. You’re invited to join, and, if you win, your name is added to a poured concrete trophy topped with a floating bronze “birdie” or “shuttlecock.” Not unlike NHL’s Stanley Cup, you’ll get to keep it for a year before passing it on to your successor.

Social hour (aka, drinking) and bracket creation begin at 2 p.m. You’re encouraged to come dressed as your favorite Western movie star.

Live music

Tonight: Music@BCM: IconX at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Matt Waters at Keystone Bar & Grill … The Missy Werner Band at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant … John Ford at Smoke Justis.

Friday: Blender Bash 2 with Roadrunner TB at Madison Live … Kenny Cowden at Smoke Justis … Angie Coyle Quartet at Juniper’s … Jonny Estep at The Roost Latonia.

Saturday: Fizzgig Reunion Show at Madison Live … Freak Mythology at The Rooftop at Madison Theater … Taylor Henry at Juniper’s.

Miscellaneous

Tonight: Dynamics of Flow at The Carnegie … The Art of Fashion: Fay Applegarth Maddux at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Tipsy Thursday at Keystone Bar & Grill … New Riff Gin Tasting at Juniper’s.

Friday: Dynamics of Flow at The Carnegie … The Art of Fashion: Fay Applegarth Maddux at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Into the Spider-Verse: Teen Cinema at Kenton County Public Library.

Saturday: Covington Farmers Market at 3rd & Court Streets … MainStrasse Village Food Tour …  Scarlet Begonia’s Flower Truck at Stoney’s Village Toy Shop … Dynamics of Flow at The Carnegie … at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Devou Night Rides at Devou Park … Metropolitan Motor Club at 50 E. Rivercenter Blvd.

Sunday: Kitten Yoga with Damon at Purrfect Day Cat Café … Kinky Boots at The Carnegie.

Original source can be found here.