COVINGTON, Ky. – Ah, that ever-so-slight coolness in the air – if summer must come to an end, let it play out with a subtle dip in temps and a paintbrush swipe of crimson and gold across a canopy of trees.

 

That’s the kind of segue into fall that makes you want to get outside and do something.

 

So … how about: An outdoor movie … free family photos … pinning 20 crows to your favorite black ensemble and drinking rosé … perusing a village bazaar … playing pickleball … strolling through a fall festival … swapping fall plants … painting with a cat … celebrating a birthday … dancing to the Heartless Bastards … stocking up at the farmers market … getting creative with some fabulous flea market finds … or reading a banned book (somewhat angrily, of course).

 

Austinburg Neighborhood Park is the place to be Friday for everything from an outdoor movie to a conversation about the park’s redevelopment to free photos to what amounts to an all-day development fair.

 

First, the “work” part: Starting at 9 a.m., the City’s Economic Development staff (and other City divisions) will be on hand to talk about entrepreneurship, incentives, property renovation, creating jobs, literacy, and other community “activation” projects. Bean Haus Bakery & Café will serve lunch. Just show up.

 

Then the “fun” part: From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., you can get a free family or personal portrait. Tashia from Lotus Lemon will snap 8x10s of you, your kids, and even your dog.

 

 And at dusk, Covington Parks & Rec will put up a screen for an outdoor kids movie showing of “A Dog’s Purpose.” Before the movie, though, Parks & Rec wants to pick your brain about good ideas for the park.

 

Details, HERE and HERE.

 

Get yourself to Crafts & Vines on Saturday, and do it “with the vigor of a wartime radio operator.”

 

That’s when Crafts & Vines dedicates its final Rose’ All Day event of the year to Schitt’s Creek’s ultimate wine connoisseur – Moira Rose (she of the “if that’s not a cause for alcohol, I don’t know what is!” life’s philosophy.)

 

Show up between noon and 5 p.m. dressed as Moira or any other character from the show and you can win a prize (Need ideas? As the sitcom character of Catherine O’Hara herself, might we suggest a red-carpet gown … five different wigs that you swap out … plastic crows pinned across your bold, shoulder-padded shoulders … or that black buffalo check Altuzzara suit in the back of your closet?)

 

The real prize here, bebé, is that this event exists, so don’t miss it. Details, HERE. 

 

Is it really fall until the fall festivals begin? Well, friends, it’s the real deal now because on Saturday the Pioneer Park Fall Fest is upon us.

 

Expect to find all the glorious booths and vendors that truly define a fall festival: fall-themed door hangers … specialty baskets … handmade jewelry … woodwork … artisan soaps … handmade hairclips … and a Pure Romance booth. Details, HERE.   

 

We’re talking about the Cincinnati-based rock band, of course … not anybody’s exes or bosses (and certainly not ours). We (ahem) want to be 100 percent clear about that.

 

No, the real HBs (going on 18 years with six albums) will be at Madison Theater on Saturday, featuring a new album that they themselves describe as full of songs that pose “an unhurried pondering” on what it means to have a beautiful life.

 

Tele Novella steps up to the stage first, so get there early so you can hear their “spooky and sweet” sounds.

 

Pandemic safety note: Wear a mask, and you must bring proof of either full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of attending the show. They’re serious about that. (But you can get the test HERE.)  

 

Details, HERE.

 

Are your favorite perennials trying to take over your yard?

 

Divide them, then bring some of what you have too much of to Redden Gardens this weekend and trade with someone else.

 

Check HERE for details of this neighborly Free Autumn Plant Swap, because they might change.

 

Rivaled only by cornhole as the game with the most interesting name, “pickleball” conjures images of long-brined tennis balls volleyed back and forth over a net, with rounds defined by flavor: Win the bread-and-butter round, you’ll advance to Kosher finals.

 

But enough silliness. In reality, pickleball is a fast-growing paddle-sport that combines elements of tennis, table tennis, and badminton.

 

It’s somewhat new to this area, so on Saturday, Covington Parks & Rec will set up two mobile pickleball courts with all the essentials – nets, ball, and racquets – for some FREE play from 10 a.m. to noon at Senator Gus Sheehan Park on Parkway Avenue. Details, HERE. 

 

We’re reading about Purrfect Day Cat Café’s “Paint & Sip with Kitties” event Saturday and two vastly different scenarios come to mind:

 

In one, you’re sipping your fancy drink and deftly creating a masterpiece as softly purring kittens gently warm your ankles. Caught up in the moment, you decide to adopt the gentle little gray furball.

 

And then there’s the other scenario: You’re feeling inspired … you’ve got that drink in hand … you begin to surprise yourself with confident brushstrokes – and then suddenly, hundreds of needles are piercing your ankle! Two cats race up your leg (their ascension secured by the deep grip of their claws), and your palette splatters and your easel topples as a tortoiseshell and a ginger duel it out on top.

 

Of course you then decide to adopt the tortie because, hey, #tortitude.

 

Alas. It turns out that the Cat Lounge and the painting room are separate. A shame … but you can still spend time in both on Sunday because it’ll be fun and, besides, kitties need good homes. Details, HERE.

 

We’re still kicking ourselves for missing Creative House of Art & Design’s Full Moon Fest during Tuesday night’s full moon in Pisces, but CHAD is again bringing the fun and the goods on Sunday for the Mainstrasse Village MV Flea.

 

Find flea market treasures and more on the Sixth Street Promenade. (Keep in mind there’s only one more MV Flea scheduled before year’s end.) Details, HERE.

 

Tonight: Chuck Brisbin at Smoke Justis, HERE … and Slick Willy & The Kentucky Jellies at Covington Yard, HERE.

 

Friday: The Ophelias, Wavelette, and The Mimes at Madison Live!, HERE … The Bluebirds at Smoke Justis, HERE … Chace Saunders at Wunderbar, HERE … and The Marty Connor Band at Covington Yard, HERE.  

 

Saturday: Heartless Bastards and Tele Novella at Madison Theater, HERE … and Acoustic Blue at Smoke Justis, HERE.    

 

And then there’s … Keystone Bar & Grill’s 14^th Birthday Party on Friday (all-day), HERE … Covington Farmers Market on Saturday (might see some honey-infused caramels), HERE … St. Benedict Parish’s Annual Festival & Homecoming on Friday and Saturday, HERE … the kick-off on Sunday of Banned Books Week at the Kenton County Public Library, HERE … and MainStrasse Village Bazaar on Sunday, HERE.  

 

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