Opportunities for lunch, music and fun abound downtown
Downtown Cincinnati’s Fountain Square — site of public gatherings, meandering tourists and political rallies — offers many events throughout the summer, and if you haven’t had a chance to visit, you can check out what the square has to offer for the remainder of the season.
The lineup:
6 o’clock this evening, plus Aug. 30, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4
Fountain Feud — Fountain Square’s twist on the popular TV game show, Family Feud. Prizes are up for grabs every week for teams racking up the most points.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, plus Aug. 31, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28, Oct. 5
United Dairy Farmers World Fare — Spend your lunch break in the heart of downtown with vendors specializing in international cuisine. Vendors will be announced each week on social media.
7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, plus Aug. 31, Sept. 7
Reggae Wednesday — Enjoy the sounds of Hurricane this week, Ras Bonghi All Stars next week and a group to be announced Sept. 7.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, plus Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
FSQ Eats with Taft Law — Another opportunity to eat lunch on the square with favorite local food trucks and vendors. Visit the Street Food Finder’s website for the rotation of food trucks.
7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, plus Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Salsa on The Square brought to you by P&G — Enjoy live local and regional Latin bands specializing in salsa, merengue, cumbia and Latin jazz. Local dance instructors host large dance classes, teaching basic and intermediate Latin dancing. Upcoming, in weekly order: Son Del Caribe & Cuban Salsa Cincinnati, Dayton Salsa Project & Diana Hoffman, Nuyorican Lf & Chévere LF, Grupo Zaoko & Heather Sommer, Tropicoso & Diana Hoffman and Son Del Caribe & SalsAires.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, plus Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7
Lunch at The Square — Get ready to celebrate the weekend with lunch from various vendors and food truck.
7 to 11 p.m. Friday, plus Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
KMK Law Fifth & Vine Live — Get ready to rock, with numerous bands performing every Friday night. Check out the Naked Karate Girls this week, then Motherfolk with The Wonderlands and Coastal Club, Howl at the Sky with JIMS and Turnsole, Advait the Dragon with Eugenius, The New Usuals with Jus Clay and Malibu Wild, and 2nd Wind.
7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, plus Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24, Oct. 1
KMK Law Fifth & Vine Live — Try a second night of weekend music, with Sophie B Hawkins this week, then The Rick George Band with Working Class Villain, Moon Festival, New Moons with Electric Indigo and Maurice Mattei and The Tempers, JayBee Lamahj with Kelby Savage and Siri Imani, and The Shivers with Dead Man String Band and Mick Skyline.
For refreshments, Fountain Bar offers beer, wine, hard seltzer, spirits and Coca-Cola products at all events.
Some history:
Fountain Square was just a wide-open island of land down the middle of Fifth Street when the Tyler Davidson Fountain was dedicated there in 1871. It wasn’t until 100 years later that the plaza was renovated and enlarged, with the fountain being moved slightly and westbound Fifth Street closing.
The fountain was cleaned, restored and rededicated in 2000, and Fountain Square was renovated again in 2006 for $48.9 million to become a bigger draw.
After the death of his business partner and brother-in-law, Tyler Davidson, in 1865, Cincinnati businessman Henry Probasco went to Munich, Germany, in search of a memorial. He found artist August von Kreling, who had designed a fountain based on the great fountains of Europe but could not find a buyer. Probasco requested some revisions, and the fountain was cast in separate sections and shipped to Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., which oversees Fountain Square, says the fountain is turned on the Saturday before Major League Baseball’s Opening Day and keeps flowing until consistent freezing temperatures, typically in late November or early December.
