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Cryptids, NAMIWalks & Dia de los Muertos

COVINGTON, Ky. – Don’t be alarmed if you bump into Mothman, Bigfoot, Chupacabra, or Cicadaman on Pike Street this weekend. They’re just here for the party (and you ought to join in).

The Cov’s got a Cryptid Block Party happening on Saturday, and it’s just one among a lot of good stuff taking place this weekend. You can check out an art exhibit, join in on a walk to support mental health awareness, celebrate Dia de los Muertos with fun and festive activities, take in live music, do a food tour, sing karaoke, play bingo, and more.

Get real (or not)

If you’ve had conversations with your more mindful circle of friends of late about the evolving realities that play out before us on what passes for news as well as on social media these days, then viewing an exhibit by an artist whose work contemplates the subjectivity of reality is both timely and warranted.

Tonight’s Expanding Universe: New Works by Thomas Osorio exhibit at Pique art gallery will be well worth your time. Osorio, who has an MFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute, is a local digital artist who works at the intersection of drawing, painting, and technology.

Osorio’s work, in his own words, “composes of the action of approaching a physical art form such as painting to represent something that is ‘real,’ which is then metamorphosed into a virtual format, or ‘unreality.’ ”

The “real world,” Osorio posits, “is comprised of spiritual revelations, rumination on the nature of society and morality, and attempts at gaining knowledge in the infinite expanse of voice that constitutes existence.”

That’s something to think about as you visit the show and decide what’s real for you.

Walk the walk for mental health

The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) has its annual walk on Saturday at Pioneer Park. There’s an array of reasons why you should attend – the pervasiveness of mental illness, the need for quality care, the likelihood that you or someone you care about battles a mental illness … and we could go on and on.  

NAMIWalks Northern Kentucky will happen along a leisurely mile or so and includes lunch and games for kids as well as for all registered walkers. The funds from the event allow NAMI to engage in activities that raise awareness in the community and with community leaders about mental illness and help combat the stigma so often associated with it.

Covington Police Officers will participate.

Whether you’re a cryptid or creeptid, here’s your block party

If there’s a block party somewhere in the world that’s cooler than Saturday’s third-annual  Covington Cryptid Block Party, then prove it.

What’s so great about the Covington Cryptid Block Party?

Well, it’s a celebration of cryptids.

What’s a cryptid, you dare to ask (having clearly lived your life in a mole hole)? Cryptids are any type of animal or creature purported to exist somewhere in the wild (or maybe your backyard, if you live in the mountains). Here in North America, we’re talking Bigfoot, Mothman, Chupacabra, Jersey Devil, Pope Lick Monster, Loveland Frogman, Jackalope, Skunk Ape, Pukwidgie, Dover Demon, Snallygaster, Dark Watcher, Wendigo, Fouke Monster, Champy, Flatwoods Monster, Rougarou, thunderbird, Devil Monkey, Wolf Woman, Skinwalker, Bunnyman, Michigan Dogman, Lizard Man, Ozark Howler, and oh, so many more.

Low and behold, here in The Cov (and across that wide Ohio River) we’ve got a few of our own cryptids: Clive The Alien, Fakeretariat, Cicadaman, The Indestructible Cincinnati Octo-man, Glier’s Goettaman, Softmaxplus, Cincinnati Cicada, and the Covington Cryptid Block Party Bigfoot.

Other cool things about this party include artist Amanda Wood’s incredible papier-mache cryptid masks. She graciously shares her “Tried and True Ingredients” to make one of these masks, if you’d like to take a stab at it before Saturday. Amanda is one of the event founders, plus she’s created the photo cutouts, cryptid prints, postcards, magnets (which we would 100 percent show you if we added images to this newsletter, because they are perfection).

There will be more amazing vendors than you can count at this event, and, as it happens on Pike Street between Washington and Madison, lots of fabulous Pike Street businesses will be open during the block party.

The dead will have their day

Get ready to immerse yourself in the rich traditions of Day of the Dead at Sunday’s Dia de los Muertos at Behringer-Crawford Museum.

Combining the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls’ Day, a holiday introduced by Spanish invaders in the early 1500s, Day of the Dead is a family reunion of sorts, welcoming back the souls of our deceased relatives for a gathering that includes food, drink, and celebration.

You’ll explore interactive crafts and engaging activities that connect families with the tradition of honoring loved ones who have passed, and learn about altars, ofrendas, and the colorful calaveras that embody the spirit of this spiritual holiday.

Live music

Tonight: The Missy Werner Band at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Friday: Carlos Vargas at Juniper’s … Chris Runnels Trio at Smoke Justis. … Thumpasarus at Madison Live

Saturday: Pink Talking Fish: A Fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish at Madison Theater … The Nomads Trio at Juniper’s … Grady Burton at Smoke Justis.

Sunday: Skeletal Remains at Madison Live.

Miscellaneous

Tonight: Teen Video Night at Kenton County Public Library … Thirsty Thursday Bingo at Frosthaus. … Cigar Night at Smoke Justis.

Friday: Feud at Frosthaus … Karaoke at Frosthaus.

Saturday: Covington Farmers Market at 425 Madison Ave. Parking Lot … MainStrasse Village Food and Culture Tour“This Cat is Fat and I’m Fine with That!” Author Meet & Greet and Storytime at Kenton County Public Library … BYOD (Bring Your Own Dog) to the PDC Doghouse at Purrfect Day Cat CafĂ©.

 

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