Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

I hope you had the opportunity to sample some wonderful craft beers at Oktoberfest this past weekend! Speaking of Oktoberfest, I am reminded of the fact that we switch from September to October this week. I wish for you a great start into the new month…and here are some events that will hopefully help!

On Wednesday, join some amazing women for the Fourth Annual Women in Business Networking Conference. At the Nutter Center, attend the Third Annual IBI/BBB Integrity Breakfast in order to get the inside scoop on integrity in the marketplace. In the evening, after a hard day’s work (unless you work the 2^nd or 3^rd shift), make your way to the Dayton Racquet Club for Dueling Bartenders. If you have a high schooler or if you know one, encourage him/her to attend College Prep Night at Fifth Third Field…there is a chance to win a $1,000 scholarship! Interested in green initiatives? Learn about the Neighborhood Stabilization Program which helps to make vacant and foreclosed homes green at Green Drinks September at Franco’s Ristorante Italiano. Don’t forget to bring your paintbrush and some green paint! My mom says left handed people are the only ones in their right mind. However, at Chappy’s, they’re having the Left Hand Weak Sauce Porter Tapping…so I am guessing that despite the fact that lefties may be in their right mind, they are the weaker of the two. Yes, I am right.

On Thursday, don’t get too spooked out when you go to the Schuster Center for the ‘PhilharMonster’ Halloween Concert. Check out UD’s Department of Visual Arts with their Open House, where you will be able to see their new studios, galleries, classrooms, and much more. If you’re a woman who loves purses, you won’t want to miss the Girls’ Night Out – Purse Swap at the Melting Pot. You may be able to “coach” some of your girlfriends into going with you as well. Mix one part beer and one part religion and you have Theology on Tap, which will take place at Oregon Express. Or make a trip up to Cedarville University for their presentation of ‘And Then There Were None’.

On Friday, get geared up for Gear Fest at Eastwood MetroPark. If you like to drink beer from half-gallon jugs, then be sure to go to Minster’s Oktoberfest! Just a tip – you may want to rent a big passenger van so you only have to have one DD! Attend The Fourth Annual Blue Moon Affair at the Schuster Center, whose proceeds benefit the Community Action Partnership’s Youth Empowerment Center. And finally, if you enjoy music and dance, and would like to help assist in the restoration of historical outdoor drama, attend the Caesar’s Ford Theatre Civil War Ball at Hope Hotel and Conference Center.

On Saturday we jump into October…and you can jump right back into Gear Fest at Eastwood Metro Park. Support We Care Arts by attending the We Care Style Auction at the Mandalay Banquet Center. If you like the color green, then participate in the Green Energy Ohio Tour. And if you like pink, then attend Pink and Chrome – Ride for the Cure at Thomas Cloud Park. Attend Resolve It! Solve It! with Six-Step Problem-Solving at the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library. I’ve been told that their theme song is “Ice Ice Baby,” because after the workshop, you’re bound to be singing “If there was a problem, yo I’ll solve it.” At the Dayton Art Institute, see Orla Fallon, a talented singer/harpist who has performed for the Pope as well as some former U.S. Presidents. Enhance your cooking skills by attending El Meson’s Cooking Class. I’m available if you need a taste tester! You may have missed Oktoberfest this past weekend at the Dayton Art Institute, but if you make the trip up to Minster, you’ll be able to attend their version! Have a unique dining experience at Carillon Park with their Tavern Dinners: Harvest Feast, which will feature a candlelit “hearth cooked and historically accurate multi-course supper.” Or make your way to the Schuster Center for the Philharmonic Gala: Dance to the Music.

On Sunday, be sure to make it up to Minster if you haven’t yet for their Oktoberfest. Does your pooch need a good cleaning? Take him/her to A Taste of Wine for Wine, Washes & Wet Noses, where h e/she will be washed while you can sit back and enjoy a glass of wine. And finally, at the Schuster Center, listen to the sounds of R&B/jazz artist Lalah Hathaway, with an opening act by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.

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

A three-legged dog walks into a bar and says to the bartender, “I’m looking for the guy who shot my Pa.”

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!