The 2016 Jungle Jim’s International Wine Festival will be a weekend to remember. With 90 wineries pouring over 400 wines, delicious food pairings by country, live music, and great company, it’s two extravagant evenings filled with the finest wines from around the world. Taking place at the Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s Fairfield on Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12, from 7:00 – 10:00pm, Jungle Jim’s International Wine Festival will bring the Grand Hall to exuberant, flamboyant life.

There are 3 different tickets available:

Grand Tasting: Grand Tasting: With 90 wineries pouring over 400 wines, the Grand Tasting lets you enjoy delicious food pairings by country, live music, and great company. You’ll also take home a commemorative 2016 Winefest glass and Tasting Guide. Look for food pairings, samples of food presented by Jungle Jim’s International Market. There will be approximately 6 food pairing booths around the festival. However, samples will not be enough for a meal; they’re meant to help you enjoy the wines. $65

Those looking for a more in-depth experience can upgrade to Connoisseur. Along with all of the benefits of the Grand Tasting, you’ll gain access to a special Connoisseur Only area for a little rest and relaxation, where you’ll indulge in the International “Dinner by the Bite,” exclusive wine sampling, and have full access to the Oscar Bar. $125

The Non-Drinker Grand Tasting ticket is $25 and includes entrance to the event for one evening, food pairings, soda, water and coffee. $25

You can purchase your tickets online or at the door for this event. Handling charges on tickets increase your outlay to $69.23 for the grand tasting or $133.13 for the Connoisseur. Parking for the event in plentiful and free. Park in the area designated for The Oscar Event Center, which is close to the Holden Drive entrance to Jungle Jim’s International Market. You can also access the parking lots by coming in the gorilla entrance (which is the entrance with the digital sign) and turning right. The Oscar Event Center parking is on the right.

Buyer’s Club, The New Purchase Passport

An integral, beneficial, and unique piece of the Wine Festival experience is our Buyer’s Club program, previously called Purchase Passport. By signing up before the show, you’re ready to enjoy the festival in the most in-depth way possible. Buyer’s Club members will receive a special, free tasting plate. Once you order your tickets, you’ll have access to sign up for Buyer’s Club. It’s the best possible way to experience the show. Once you sign up, it’s as easy as picking up your Buyer’s Club card at the festival, tasting from hundreds of wines, and ordering the ones you enjoy most. You tell us which location you usually shop, and we’ll make sure your order is ready to pick up the week after the festival.

In order to sign up for Buyer’s Club, you must purchase a ticket to the 2016 International Wine Festival. So what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets now!

Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Sunday’s Patriots vs. Browns game may be considered an upset, but to be quite honest, I’m not sure why. My family sure wasn’t upset…GO BROWNIES! If you weren’t watching the game, hopefully you were out having fun participating in one of the many events going on in Dayton this past week! Here’s to another week with a variety of things to do!

On Wednesday, sip some wine at The Wine Gallery downtown for their Anniversary Tasting! Approximately 50 different wines will be featured and they will have complimentary food. Or if you’re more of a beer lover, then attend the Beer Tasting at The Caroline in Troy. Drive to The Winds Café and Bakery in Yellow Springs for their 21st Annual Garlic Dinner if you don’t mind a little garlic on your breath. If you’re like me and love G-O-D, then you will want to attend the Children’s Performing Arts of Miamisburg’s production of the wonderful musical Godspell at the Baum Opera House. I heard that the kids put on an outstanding performance! For a good drum roll (and perhaps a dumb joke to follow!), see DRUMLine Live at the Schuster Center. Also, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be performing at the Nutter Center if you prefer to get in the Christmas spirit a little early this year. And finally, if you would like to give back, then bring your canned goods to the “Can”nery for their Holiday Food Drive, which will benefit the Foodbank. Or, purchase a new toy or clothing item to help needy kids as part of the YWCA Dayton Holiday Wish List Donation Drive.

On Thursday, get your exercise and “Jump” into Art with jumpstART at the Dayton Visual Arts Center’s ARTtoBUY Holiday Gift Gallery. Although ARTtoBUY will be happening for a while, on Thursday only, jumpstART will be providing light food, good wine, and some art appreciation. If you are an introvert and would prefer to buy art-type gifts by yourself, then attend Live Art, Give Art at the Cannery Art and Design Center’s fourth annual holiday gift gallery. Are you a young professional that would like to meet other young professionals in the Dayton area? If so, come to Champps, grab a drink, and do some social networking as part of Generation Dayton’s Thirsty Thursday. Plus, you will have a chance to win a $25 gift card to Champps, which you are welcome to use to buy me a drink! At The Neon, the Ohio Liberty Film Festival will be going on, so if movies are your thing, then you should plan to attend. And if can’t wait until Thanksgiving for your turkey dinner, then gobble your way to the Stockyards Inn for their Turkey Thursdays.

On Friday, all you businesswomen will want to attend the Women in Business Networking winstitute at the Dayton Racquet Club. If you’re sick and tired of that old couch but don’t have the money to purchase a new one (or are just environmentally conscious), consider turning it into a beautiful work of art at the Reinvent Your Furniture Workshop at the Cannery Art and Design Center. If you are a college student who would like to learn a little bit about leadership, then attend Leadership Truths: Everything A College Student Needs to Know at Urbana University. In addition, the premier young professional groups in the Dayton region will be on hand to help you get connected with all things Dayton! (Honestly, this is how I have become connected in the Dayton community, so I highly recommend it!) At the Schuster Center, join the Philharmonic Orchestra and some top vocalists for Broadway Rocks. I’m not sure if they will be of the igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic type, but the performance will feature several hits from wonderful shows such as Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. For more info, be sure to check out this article on DMM! Also downtown, the Ohio Liberty Film Festival will be happening at the Engineers Club. And, if you’re looking for an evening of dining and dancing in a beautiful setting, be sure to get your tickets today for the Dayton Urban League Gala at the Dayton Art Institute!

On Saturday, head to the Dayton Women’s Club for their Annual Holiday Bazaar. If you feel like you’re wearing the same thing over and over again and need something new in which to put your arms and legs, but don’t want something that will cost you an arm and a leg, attend the Swap ‘n Shop ’til You Drop Charity Benefit. Grab three friends and register your team for the URS Oregon District Barstool Open, which is a 9-hole, 9-bar indoor miniature golf outing. From those who have attended in the past, I have heard it is a super fun time. Plus, proceeds benefit local children and adults with disabilities, so I’m all “fore” it! In the evening, you can also support the Cystic Fibrosis Association by attending the Dayton Shining Stars Gala at the Engineers Club. For some musical/theater options, see the Children’s Performing Arts of Miamisburg’s production of Godspell at the Baum Opera House, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at La Comedia, Playing by Life’s Rules’ at the Ray & Joan Kroc Theatre, Broadway Rocks at the Schuster Center, An Evening with Sutton Foster at Clark State Performing Arts Center, or the Choral Concert at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theatre. Are you already missing the summer? If so, attend an Indoor Tropical Bash at Norton’s featuring the Parrots of the Caribbean, a wonderful Jimmy Buffett Tribute band that is sure to put on a great show! Or make your way to UD Arena to watch the Flyers take on Mount St. Mary’s. Go UD!

On Sunday, if you’re not watching the Browns’ next victory, consider making the drive to Fairfield for Jungle Jim’s International Wine Festival, where there will be over 400 wines! That is a lot of alcohol, so be sure to bring a DD…or rather have a DD bring you. Downtown, celebrate the 20^thAnniversary of the renovation and re-opening of the Victoria Theatre with Viva Victoria!. The celebration is absolutely free…just be sure to get your ticket from Ticket Center Stage. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the Ohio Liberty Film Festival at The Neon, Playing By Life’s Rules’ at the Ray & Joan Kroc Theatre, or Godspell at the Baum Opera House, now is your opportunity to do so. And finally, if you want to get in the spirit of Christmas with a little spirits (which is much more acceptable than non-stop Christmas music in November!), attend the Holiday Tasting at Arrow Wine in Centerville.

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

I was trying to write a song about drinking but I couldn’t get past the first few bars.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar. There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today! Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE! And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!