COVINGTON, Ky. – The 4^th of July is 11 days in the rearview mirror, and it appears as though most of y’all have finally finished shooting off fireworks … ergo, you’re looking for something to do.

 

So whether you’re still up for loud, like live music, or want something quieter, like a poetry reading or yoga with kitties, we have you covered.

 

Pets are beloved in The Cov, and this weekend provides more evidence.

 

Former Kentucky poet laureate George Ella Lyon will be in Covington on Saturday to celebrate the release of “Back to the Light,” her latest book of poetry.

 

For those who don’t know, Lyon is a pretty big deal, and a bibliography of her works (across many genres) runs almost as long as the list of the awards she’s received. She gives a fantastic, heartfelt reading.

 

Of “… Light,” which traces the arc of a woman’s life from girlhood to mature womanhood, the acclaimed poet Nikky Finney said this: “George Ella reminds us, in elegant George Ella style, how the country located just below the nose and just above the chin of a woman's face is a sparkling cave of galaxies.”

 

Lyon’s appearance is at Covington’s indie bookstore, Roebling Point Books & Coffee, seen HERE.

 

Then on Sunday, RoPoBoCo will host authors Bryan W Simon and Marjorie Engesser as they celebrate the release of “I'm No Dummy Everyday: 365 Days of Ventriloquial Oddities, Curiosities, and Fun Facts.”

 

Details, HERE.

 

“Friday Night Lights” may have been the name of some TV series we never watched, but here in Covington it also refers to something more fun: A pickup hockey match/fund-raiser at Barb Cook Park hosted by the Covington Street Hockey League.

 

Bring your skate gear, and for $10 tomorrow night you can hit the ice, er, pavement and play with the stars from CSHL. It’s free to watch (but of course if you want to throw in some coin to help pay for lights at the rink, they wouldn’t say “no.”)

 

Any money left over will go toward the big trip to Detroit for the invite-only, national Barstool Summer Hockeyfest. (Watch this space for future events.)

 

Details, HERE.

 

If you recognize the name “Brute Force Cybernetics,” then you likely know the band playing on the Covington riverfront on Friday night during week 4 of the free Luv The Cov Concert Series.

 

That band would be Swan, which has been playing (originals and covers) in the area since 1976.

 

Recently inducted into the Northern Kentucky Music Legends Hall of Fame, the band placed a few originals on the WEBN Album Project series back in the day (Brute Force Cybernetics being the label for the rock station) and even toured club circuits in the Southeast and on the East Coast. You might even have seen them playing in Covington at BLINK in 2019.

 

Friday night’s concert is at Covington Plaza, with its amphitheater-style seating facing the Ohio River. Food and beverages will be available. Details, HERE.

Five drop-in spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis for tap-dancing classes beginning this weekend at The Carnegie.

 

You can’t reserve in advance, but if you want to take a chance, see HERE. It’s pay-what-you-can, four Saturday classes, with separate classes for absolute beginners and intermediate tappers. Karen Hendershot is teaching.

And then there’s … Bam Powell & the Troublemakers at the Music@BCM series tonight at Behringer-Crawford Museum, HERE … the Happy Flower Painting Class on Saturday at Purple Paisley, Local Artisan Shop, HERE … the Covington Farmers Market on Saturday morning, HERE … Scarlet Begonia’s Flower Truck popup Saturday at Cedar Restaurants, HERE … and the Devou Third-Sunday Trailday at Devou Park, HERE.

 

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