News

The Clauses, toy drive & reindeer games

COVINGTON, Ky. – How do Santa and Mrs. Claus maintain their soft round bellies and jolly dispositions? If this weekend is any indication, it’s because they enjoy more than one hearty breakfast a day.

The Cov must be on a direct route from the North Pole because you’ll find the Clauses dining and posing all over town for photos this weekend.

But it’s not all about Santa and the kiddos this weekend. Rest assured that there’s plenty of grownup fun too, with live music, holiday libations, trivia contests (hey “Friends” fans, here’s looking at you), and more.

Holiday a cappella

Unwrapping seasonal favorites by Pentatonix, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Coltraine, Blondie, Manhattan Transfer, and more (now that’s a wide range), the vocal group No Promises performs at The Carnegie tonight with a family-friendly holiday program.

Don’t be misled by the name. Christmas with No Promises does promise and will deliver on an evening-length performance that includes two sets of music. Guest artist Micah Davis will add lead vocals.

FREE ‘COV’ holiday fun

Load up the kiddos and make your way to City Hall on Friday evening for Covington Parks & Rec’s annual Happy COV Holidays.

Indulge in light refreshments, create sparkly arts and crafts, and pose for fun holiday photos with Santa. Free parking can be found in the lots at 630 Scott St. or 16 E. 8th St.

Our Parks & Rec team say that this is their favorite event, so expect lots of cheer.

Cats’ turn at The Roost

Saturday’s Meowy Christmas at The Roost Latonia follows last weekend’s Howliday Market for dogs with all things feline (and “rightly so,” say cats).

Get yourself a Kit Kat Latte (which sounds like it should be a staple menu item), and buy every little cat-themed item in your range of vision because cats deserve it all. Just ask them.

Reindeer games at Braxton

Here’s an event that will make you want to put on your most festive (or ugliest) holiday attire.

Braxton Brewing Co.’s 5th Annual Reindeer Games happens Saturday morning with a Jubilee tapping ceremony and a series of small interactive holiday games to get you in the holiday spirit.

There will be a Covington Holiday Market to shop, live music, photos with Santa, and an ultimate Reindeer Games prize of a free IglooBar reservation, $100 Braxton gift card, and a Braxton gift basket.

Breakfast with the Missus (and Santa)

Breakfast in the Village (MainStrasse Village, that is) looks pretty festive on Saturday, so be sure to make a reservation for you and the kiddos.

Starting at 11 a.m., there’s Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at The Standard (they’ll be there on Sunday, too).

Then at noon on Saturday, Mrs. Claus develops a hankering for a stack of pancakes, a Christmas movie, and holiday crafts with Mr. Chad over at Creative House of Art & Design. Drop off the kids (yes, Christmas comes early for you), and do some holiday shopping in the Village for a couple of hours. The kids will be with Mrs. Santa, so it’s not like they’ll miss you or anything.

Dress ‘ugly,’ bring toys

The wonderful “Bubs” of the Covington Street Hockey League will once again embrace the spirit of the season with their 6th Annual CSHL Toy Drive & Ugly Sweater N’ Paper Plate Awards at Gypsy’s on Saturday.

This is the time for you to sport the ugliest, most ostentatious holiday sweater you can get your arms into – better yet, enlist a whole cadre of ugly sweater-wearing friends – and bring armloads of toys to Gypsy’s to be donated to Be Concerned: The People’s Pantry.

Be Concerned will place the toys in its shop for local holiday toy shopping at affordable prices for families. The feeling you’ll get from donating toys for children may well be the only Christmas gift you need.

Hot sauce for cold drinks

Since “sauce” rhymes with “Claus,” we find it incredibly timely that Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar has some good smokin’ hot sauce for you to pour into a tall glass of cheer (and other stuff) on Sunday afternoon.

The OKBB Moonbeam Bloody Mary Pop Up will feature Moonbeam Hot Sauce stirred into delicious Bloody Marys or Bloody Kentuckys. And if it suits your taste buds, you can purchase some of that sauce at OKBB. Not a bad stocking stuffer.

Live music

Tonight: Sonny Moorman at Smoke Justis … The Missy Werner Band at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant … Taylor at Juniper’s.

Friday: Hills of Kentucky Dulcimers at Behringer-Crawford Museum … A River Cities Christmas with Cam Miller  at The Roost Latonia … Pink Talking Fish: A Fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish at Madison Theater … Leroy Ellington at Smoke Justis … Greg Chako Trio at Juniper’s … Just Add Beer Band at The Village Theater … The Original Black Mountain Throwdown at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant.

Saturday: Yuletide Celebration: Jingle All the Way at The Carnegie … The Orphan The Poet with Mossant, Michael Williams, and Wendigo at Madison Live … Farm Cat at Smoke Justis … Chris Comer Trio at Juniper’s … Sami Riggs at The Standard … Ohio is For Covers at Strasse Haus … MoJo Blues Cats at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant.

Sunday: A Country Christmas with Jessie Lyn at Behringer-Crawford Museum.

Miscellaneous

Tonight: A Window Through Time at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Friends Trivia Night (A Tribute to Chandler) at Purrfect Day Cat Café … Themed Trivia Night – Winter Holidays at Kenton County Public Library.

Friday: A Window Through Time at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Holiday Sip & Shop at SoHza Sister Boutique … Feud Fridays at Frosthaus. 

Saturday: A Window Through Time at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Covington Farmers Market at Braxton Brewing Co. … Saturday Storytime at Kenton County Public Library … Photos with Santa at Life Learning Center … Kumite VII with Kumite BJJ at Madison Theater … Friends Trivia Night ( A Tribute to Chandler) Encore Night at Purrfect Day Cat Café.

Sunday: A Window Through Time at Behringer-Crawford Museum … Miss Kyleigh’s Pawliday Fun with Kiddos and Kitties at Purrfect Day Cat Café … Holiday Ornament Kit Kick-off Event at Kenton County Public Library.

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