COVINGTON, Ky. - The Kentucky Derby in September ... an event at The Carnegie with 8 out of every 9 seats deliberately left empty ... video screen cooking ...

 

Another narrative weekend events calendar, another reminder of what a weird year this is.

 

But since this is all about keeping on keeping on, let’s roll with it:

 

NPR has its “Tiny Desk Concerts” ... now The Carnegie has its new “tiny concert series.”

 

Forced to delay this season’s full-scale theatrical productions and move them to the 2021-22 season, the Covington theatre-gallery has adopted a new feature: one-hour concerts featuring local singers and Carnegie favorites with limited seating capacity.

 

Only 50 people will be seated in The Carnegie’s 447-seat theater, although ticketed livestreaming will be offered as well.

 

First up? Top-shelf musician-songwriter Jimmy Lee Hook, this Saturday. Hook, who lives in Northern Kentucky, has performed all along the East Coast alongside an array of New York legends. (Think Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” or Elton John.)

 

Says a Covington bigwig who saw Hook play a Christmas Party: “The crowd went wild and wouldn’t let him quit until he finally, exhausted, wound up the evening!”

 

In other words, worth going: Info and tickets, HERE.

 

Well, not exactly ...

 

And spectators aren’t allowed at Churchill Downs this year either for the delayed 146^thrunning of “the greatest/most exciting/fastest two minutes in sports.”

 

But you can still celebrate Derby Day in style here in The Cov. Here are a few specials we picked up on social media (and we’re sure there are others): 

Need fresh mint for your Derby drinks? Or locally raised meats and vegetables for a caldron of burgoo?

 

The weekly, open-air Covington Farmers Market has a vast array of peak-season vegetables, fruit and herbs (not to mention freshly made food products), including cherry tomatoes, zucchini, hatch chiles, peaches, apples, sweet corn, hummus, honey, cucumbers, beans, sprouts, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatillos,

 

As usual, it’s Saturday morning at Third & Court streets. Also, as usual, abide by the safety rules. Info, HERE.

 

Remember last week’s post about the Census event, and how we compared it to a seemingly endless Grateful Dead tour?

 

The tour continues this week: Volunteers will be in the parking lot outside The Kroger Co. store in Latonia on Friday to help Covington residents (note the adjective “Covington”) fill out their mandatory Census form online.

 

The “party” is from noon to 4 p.m. Fill out the form at the event, and you get a $5 gift card to Kroger and a Census swag bag. It only takes a few minutes.

 

This is critical: About 13 percent of Covington’s budget comes from direct federal funding that’s allocated based on population counts. We need every one counted.

 

If you haven’t filled out the Census, please do so. Census forms can be filled out via paper, phone (1-844-330-2020), and online at 2020census.gov.

 

Jamaica - and indeed the entire Caribbean experience - is pretty much out of reach these days, at least in person.

 

But if your chest keeps vibrating to that One drop rhythm and skank guitar strumming, head to Smoke Justis for “Reggae Sunday.” Featured attractions: live reggae, jerk chicken, and related drinks.

 

Info, HERE.

 

 

We’re no chefs, but ceviche is a Peruvian raw fish dish in which seafood is cooked after (or “by”?) marinating it in citrus juice, and huancaina is a fabulous sauce.

 

Want to learn how to make it?

 

Tune in HERE at 5 p.m. Friday, when Kenton County Public Library premieres a video as part of its “cooking with Dagmar” series that focuses on Latin American cuisine.

 

Have you packed on a few pounds during the pandemic, or lost some muscle mass? Do you need the discipline of organized exercise to get back into the proverbial swing of things? Are you in a stressed-out, dark place and need some mental relaxation?

 

Small businesses in The Cov are here for you:

And then there’s ... the Scarlet Begonia Flower Truck popup on Saturday at Bean Haus Bakery & Cafe, HERE ...

 

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