Weekend Warm-Up: April 24 – 26

My recommendations for something to do this weekend

A crazy, busy weekend full of things to do this spring weekend …

Friday is the first of many Red Hot Fridays on Fountain Square.
What do you get when you combine the hottest home games of the Cincinnati Reds season with the hottest place to be in Downtown Cincinnati? Red Hot Friday! Get pumped up for a three-day Reds home stand with a lunchtime event on select Fridays at Fountain Square. Come dressed in your best Reds gear for chances to win four Reds game tickets and other great Reds prizes! See displays and visit with Rosie Red, Mr. Redlegs, Gapper, and the Reds Rallypack.
Then of course you have the baseball game itself Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday afternoon with the Reds taking on the Atlanta Braves.

Friday evening is also GLBT Night at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. 'Midori Plays Mendelssohn' starts at 8:00 PM but there will be a party after in the Corbett Tower complete with hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, fellowship and prizes. $40 gets you a seat for the concert and admission to the after-party …$15 if you already have tickets.

The Butterfly Show continues at Krohn and I read in the Downtown Resident’s Council email that Metro is providing a shuttle from downtown to Eden Park each Saturday for this event. For $1 each way you can take a non-stop trolley to the Butterfly Show from Fountain Square. Board the trolley in front of the Westin beginning this Saturday through June 20. Trolley will operate continuously from Fountain Square to Krohn and back from noon until 5:00 each Saturday with special Mother’s Day and Father’s Day routes on May 10 and June 21. For additional information contact Metro.

Then Saturday is Bearcats Pride Day at the University of Cincinnati which includes Bearcat Bowl III, the football team’s spring game. There are actually a number of other free (yes, free) events going on all around campus that day besides the 7:00 PM game. Open to all patrons, fans are encouraged to sit on the east side of Nippert, opposite the press box. If you have kids interested in sports, this event has you covered from a youth football clinic, football player autograph sessions, the Bearcats Family Zone with games, and a baseball game (4:00 PM) and soccer game (7:30 PM) with cheap concessions. Not to mention the spring game. For the adults there is even going to be an Athletics Garage Sale on the west concourse of Fifth Third Arena from 2:00 – 6:00 PM. Items to be sold will include various used and never worn UC athletic gear, shoes, travel bags, and more at discounted prices. Check the website for a list of all events and times.

And finally, for Sunday only we have the de-installation of the Flower Carpet at 8:00 AM. Show up and get free pansies! (There is a limit.) And the Northside 5k in Spring Grove is at 9:00 AM. Check the Northside Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation website for details.

It is going to be a beautiful weekend; go out and enjoy it.

Edited to remove Paddlefest. How did I mess that one up?

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