Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Kids Night Out is an opportunity for kids and their family and friends to share an evening of fun and games, while supporting RMHC Dayton. Festivities include:
-Fall activities
-Raffles
-Games & prizes
-Sweets & treats
-Photo station
-Priceless memories!
All friends, family, and ages welcome.
2019 marks the Brunner Literacy Center’s 7th annual 5k to promote adult literacy education in Dayton!
Join us at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 5th to walk, jog, or run our certified 5k course through beautiful Englewood MetroPark’s West Park to celebrate the joys of literacy, health, and community. Our course begins and ends at the Lawwill Shelter.
Plan to arrive 30-45 minutes early to check in at the registration table, get something to eat or drink, join in some pre-race exercise, listen to music, and visit with friends.
The three fastest men and women in each age bracket will be awarded medals at our closing ceremonies. Age brackets are divided into these groups:
At the end of the race, we like to give away some goodies. Raffle prizes include cash awards of $500, $300, and $200. On top of that, some of our friends and sponsors donate other goodies to be given away. Past years’ prizes have included restaurant gift cards, gas station gift cards, fitness classes, fresh produce from A. Brown & Sons Nursery, and more!
Each 5k participant gets one free raffle ticket with registration. Additional tickets can be purchased at $5 for one (1) ticket and $25 for six (6) tickets. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BLC ahead of time or at the park on the day of the 5k. You do not need to be present to win the cash prizes. All proceeds benefit the BLC.
Every day at the Brunner Literacy Center, volunteers put learning tools into the hands of adult learners. Administrators, staff, and volunteers work to fulfill the Center’s mission of helping adults learn to read, write, compute, and learn English as a new language. Tutoring and other services, including books and materials, are provided to students without charge.
The BLC is always in need of new volunteers! For more details about our volunteering opportunities, visit our website here to learn more about how you can support Dayton’s adult students.
Join YWCA Dayton’s Preble County Office during the “dog days” of summer at this day of family-friendly fun with fur-riends! Bring your pet for this fourth annual signature fundraiser benefiting Preble County’s only domestic violence shelter and 24/7 crisis hotline. Activities include a pet showcase (prizes awarded for best trick, best personality, “twinning” pet-and-owner lookalikes, and best in show), photo booth, vendors, food, music, and more.
Individual registration: $10/person (includes T-shirt!). Pet showcase registration: $5/pet (includes bandana!). Children 17 & under: Free. Register online in advance at bit.ly/PurplePaws19 and follow the conversation online using #PurplePaws.
Every month the Miami Valley plays hosts to multiple fundraisers for local nonprofit groups and programs. We’ve highlighted 10 of the must attend events for the month of March, but there are plenty more you can support. Some require ticket purchases or pre-registration, others are donation at the door, with participation prices as little as the cost of an ice cream cone, up to $150 tickets. For a full list of charitable fundraisers check out the MostMetro.com calendar.
Lion & Leos Club Spaghetti Dinner
Giovanni’s
15 W Main St, Fairborn, Ohio 45324
March 4 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm $10
Spaghetti with meat sauce, famous Italian homemade bread, salad, drink and dessert.
Takeout orders are available . 878-1611
Acoustapalooza 2019 Juvenile Diabetes Benefit 
The Barrel 857 W Central Ave, Springboro, Ohio 45066
March 10 @ 1:00 pm – 9:00 pm donation requested at the door
The one-day Show will be held at “The Barrel” located just off of I-75 in Springboro, Ohio on March 10th from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. As of today artists including Cevin West, Jayme, 9 Eight Central, The Jay Clark Band, Two For The Road, Until Rust, Untold Glory, Velvet Crush Unplugged have committed to performing at the event. A host of other talented musicians will fill in the gaps between sets to make this a day of non stop musical talent!
There will be raffles, door prizes and a silent auction to support the fundraising during the entire day! All Proceeds from “Acoustapalooza”will go to local and national Juvenile Diabetes Research and Support. We are honored to bring this event to our music community with some of the regions best talent donating their time to aid in the effort!
Reason To Hope Breakfast Fundraiser
Dayton Marriott
March 12 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 pm
A powerful, one-hour breakfast designed to educate the community about the Alzheimer’s Association while raising funds to support dementia research, programs and services.
This event is free to attend, however all guests will be asked to consider making a contribution to the Alzheimer’s Association Miami Valley Chapter.
Contact Meg McFarland at 937-610-7007 for more info.
Eureka: Playing the Odds
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
2600 DeWeese Pkwy, Dayton, Ohio
March 16 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm . $75 – $90
From modern games of chance to ancient superstitions, people have always been fascinated by the good fortune that seems to befall a lucky few! Spend an evening Playing the Odds with us as you explore the Museum at this annual winter fundraiser.
Featuring a dance floor, hors d’oeuvres, a welcome drink, craft beer and wine, this one-of-a-kind adult evening will expand your science knowledge while you mix and mingle at Dayton’s most entertaining cocktail party. 21+
2019 Women of Influence Awards
Dayton Convention Center
22 E. Fifth Street, Dayton, OH 45402
March 21 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm $150
Since 1998, YWCA Dayton has set aside one special day to recognize and honor women in our community. Join us in celebrating Dayton’s most influential women, all of whom have made a difference in our community through their dedication to the YWCA mission of empowering women, eliminating racism, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Honorees in the Women of Influence Class of 2019 are:
• Cassie Barlow, COO of SOCHE
• Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Senior Rabbi of Temple Israel
• Kim Duncan, Founder of Elements IV Interiors
• Neenah Ellis, General Manager of WYSO Public Radio
• Chris Saunders, Community Philanthropist and Global Advocate
• Sheri “Sparkle” Williams, Dancer with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
• The Dayton Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (Lifetime Achievement Award)
Harrigan’s 5k
Harrigan’s Tavern
4070 Marshall Rd, Kettering
March 23 9:30am $25
This race is a great way to celebrate the St Patrick’s Holiday, a few days after the actual St Patrick’s Day. Not only a fun race, but proceeds to good causes as well.
Proceeds of this race benefit Alzheimer’s Association, JDRF, United Rehab Services of Greater Dayton and South Community Positive Health Options. ONLINE REGISTRATION open through March 20! Entry fee is $25 if received by March 20. Registrations received at packet pickup or on race day are $30 so please register early to $ave!
Dayton Heart Ball
Sinclair College
March 23 @ 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm $150 or corporate tables available
Our evening celebrates our work and mission; our donors and volunteers; and — most importantly — the lives saved and improved because of everyone’s effort.
Event Program
6:00 pm Cocktail Reception
7:30 pm Ballroom Opens
8:00 pm Dinner, Open Your Heart Appeal
8:45 pm Live Auction, Dessert, Dancing Immediately Following
The American Heart Association Dayton Heart Ball is a “must attend” social event, where people come to network with peers and socialize with some of the region’s most influential people. Our Mission: Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Our mission drives everything we do at the American Heart Association.
We Care Arts Takeover Night
Old Scratch Pizza
March 26 @ 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Grab some friends and stop by for delicious pizza, drinks, and dessert in support of We Care Arts and its mission!
Tuesday, March 26th from 5pm til closing time, Old Scratch Pizza will donate 10% of all sales to We Care Arts!
All March long is Cones For A Cause at Old Scratch Pizza, so make sure to get a cone after your pizza and 100% of your donation will benefit We Care Arts!
Jersey Mike’s Subs – Day of Giving
Jersey Mike’s Subs
March 27 @ 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
United Rehabilitation Services (URS) has been chosen by the three local Jersey Mike’s Subs locations for their 8th Annual Month of Giving. Customers are invited to visit Jersey Mike’s for a delicious sub meal and they will donate 100 percent of the day’s sales to URS!
Proceeds from the Day of Giving will help subsidize early childhood education programs for children ages 6 weeks – 17 years old, many of whom are medically fragile and require critical care from onsite nurses who provide g-tube feeds, seizure monitoring and acute care, as well as support the Region’s only Pediatric Aquatic Therapy Program and “spider cage”. URS is committed to providing care for every stage of life, from infancy through the senior years for individuals with disabilities.
Locations include: 3510 Pentagon Blvd, Beavercreek, 6002 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, and 1512 Miamisburg Centerville Road, Dayton
Crayons To Classrooms 10th Anniversary Celebration
Sinclair Community College – Ponitz Center
March 29 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm $110
Join us in March as we celebrate this milestone! Your ticket includes social hour with heavy appetizers, event program, and parking.
Crayons to Classrooms has helped contribute to the growth of our community’s youth for 10 years by distributing over $17M in school supplies to 110 Dayton-area schools and their teachers.
Biking in Dayton has become all the rage, and for good reason! We have amazing trails and a new Link bike system, that makes biking easier and more enjoyable than ever. Now the Rotary Club of Dayton is taking the love of biking one step further by starting their own charity ride. The inaugural Dayton Rotary Ride will be held this Saturday June 20th, with proceeds benefiting their popular International Exchange Student program.
Phil Parks, one of the organizers of this event explains how the event will work: “The start of the ride has been carefully chosen as family friendly. We acknowledge that some members of the family may not want to ride a 50k or 100k ride. So we offer the family the opportunity to ride the first 3 ½ miles together. Then those wanting to return can turn onto a paved bike path and return to the starting point, Xenia Bike Hub. The more experienced riders can still ride together as a family for the first 14 miles. At the 14 mile mark we offer our first of 4 rest stops where the riders can take their first break. They will find food, water and toilet amenities offered by one of our many sponsors. After that, the 50k and 100k separate for their chosen scenic ride back to Xenia.”
Not only is this a great way to get some exercise and enjoy the great outdoors – this is also a fantastic way to support a great cause! The Rotary Club of Dayton has been sponsoring Dayton Public School students, as an International Exchange Student, for many years. Likewise, members of the Club always host families for an inbound exchange student. During their years of running the exchange program, they have found that both outbound and inbound students always have a trip, or various needs, that require extra funding that their families cannot afford. The Dayton City School Students parents have skin in the game, but most times need some financial support in order to offer their children this wonderful international opportunity. Walt Hibner, Heath MacApline, and Phil Parks, all avid cyclers, hatched the plan for a fundraising event to help support these student’s unexpected needs and costs during their travels.
Phil Parks explains the goal of this event: “Long-term, we hope to see Dayton Public School Students volunteering for various duties along the ride. This collaborative effort is meant to show them how people working together can provide meaningful results. We want to make a BIG SPLASH, with the community and the students. But it all starts with this first little rock being thrown into the pond. Hopefully the little wave it makes will eventually turn into the big splash!”
If you are interested in participating, here are the details:
Website: http://www.daytonrotaryride.info/home.html
When: Saturday June 20th. Registration starts at 7am. Ride ends at 2pm
Where: Xenia Station, Xenia Ohio. The physical address is 150 N. Miami Ave, Xenia, OH 45385.
Cost: $20 – $35 (depending on the package you choose)
NOTE: Everyone must wear a helmet, no exceptions.
A fencing and epee tournament benefitting Saint Jude’s will be held on November 9, 2013 at S.W.O.R.D. at 813 Leo Street in Dayton, Ohio. The event will start at 10 AM with a 9 AM registration time for participants.
S.W.O.R.D. is the South Western Ohio Recreation and Defense School started in 2012 in order to serve the Dayton community of martial artists and has expanded over the year to serve the Dayton dance community as well as providing a venue for banquets, film festivals and film classes.
Fencing has long standing roots going back thousands of years but was codified in the form that is known now across the world in the late 17th Century. The form developed to allow combat exercises with a sword that were not necessarily deadly but still utilized the same sword combat forms. Epee is a modification of the fencing tradition which does away with some of the more esoteric rules found in traditional fencing.
The tournament is open to participants who are class C and below as ranked by the USFA rating system. But you don’t need to be a fencer to attend – the general public is welcome to observe the action.
The price of admission for competitors is $25.00 for one weapon or $40 for two weapons. There is no admission fee for attending to observe the event. Prizes for the competitors include USFA rating standings and trophies. Food and drinks are available for purchase during the daylong event.
For more information on this event and S.W.O.R.D. please contact William DeVan, founder of S.W.O.R.D., at 937-223-5569. More information is also available at S-W-O-R-D.com or on Facebook at SWORDayton.
