COVINGTON, Ky. – Consider Wednesday’s stunning Full Moon (the Hunter’s Moon) a celestial welcome to the weekend. And it’s a good one.
We’ve got ghost stories down by the river, a new “spooky” walking tour (2 miles of scary stuff), free perennials to attract a bounty of butterflies to your garden next spring, a bike tune up while you shop for veggies, authors who want to tell you about their books, pinot-sipping and pumpkin carving, 2021’s final Summer of Cov, plus a murder mystery pub crawl.
See you next weekend for Samhain. In the meantime, stay busy with …
Maybe it was that apparition late one night on the side of the road … or that not-really-an-animal-but-if-not-what-was-it?? that was in your peripheral, scurrying up the hill on an early evening walk … or how you keep waking up at 3 a.m., you know, when “the veil” thins, and it feels like there’s someone by your bed.
Point is, there’s an event that has haunted you, right?
The time has come to tell others about it (or heck, maybe you’ve just made up a good ghost story). Point is, an audience awaits you. And maybe cash.
Fifty bucks goes to the best story of the evening on Friday at the Covington Plaza Amphitheater for Commonwealth Artists Student Theatre (CAST) and the City of Covington’s “Things That Go Bump in the Night” LIVE ghost storytelling contest.
You’ll have 10 minutes to make the hair stand on the back of everyone’s neck.
Bring a chair and blanket. Add warm layers by way of a clever costume and you might walk away with a CAST swag bag. Sign up and buy tickets HERE.
Murder. Clues. A host of Covington pubs.
It’s your mission to solve the who/when/where/how questions on Saturday evening during the Get a Clue Covington Murder Mystery Pub Crawl.
Start out at Braxton Brewing and then visit Hannaford, Parlor on 7th, and Rich’s Proper for clues and the refreshments that will undoubtedly help you recognize, interpret, and organize those clues.
Details, HERE.
Sure, it’s “officially” fall, but that doesn’t stop summer in The Cov, at least, not Renaissance Covington’s final “Summer of Cov” of the year.
It happens Saturday in the Covington Entertainment District and you can dine, drink, and shop to your heart’s desire.
There will be more than 40 local retailers in one sweet spot, and all the restaurants and bars in Roebling Point will be ready to serve. More, HERE.
Ghostly visitations. Creepy history. Gruesome events.
Being more than 200 years old, Covington has its share of unnerving stories, and come Friday and Saturday, you can hear all about them – while getting some exercise too – during the Spooky Secrets Tour.
Isn’t a heart that races with fear kind of like cardio, but without the whole running, pedaling and sweating?
Secret Cincinnati author Kathy Wit, and NKYArtTours writer Jill Morenz have put their creepy-lovin’ minds together and the result is dozens of scary tour-stops along a trail that stretches from the City’s riverfront to MainStrasse.
Tours are Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Details HERE.
Hope, Interrupted: America Lost and Found in Letters is a cautionary tale of hope, fear, optimism and existential dread. (We had you at “existential dread,” right?).
Longtime friends Byron McCauley and Jennifer Mooney (from Cincinnati) are proof that we all need a pen pal.
The letters they wrote to one another throughout a year defined by a pandemic, riots, and (ugh), politics are now bound into the book they’ll be talking about and signing on Saturday morning at Roebling Point Books & Coffee. Details, HERE.
Later that day, author John Young stops in at 1 p.m. to talk about the release of his book Fire in the Field and Other Stories – 16 short stories that will have you asking what shapes you. Is it money? Family? Talent? Need for approval? Something else?
If you’re in the mood for some gritty self-exploration, check it out. More, HERE.
If you geared up for the weekend with pumpkin carving at The Gruff and Rhinegiest annual event on Thursday, then how about winding down on Sunday with Pinots & Pumpkins at Crafts & Vines?
Sharp objects and alcohol? What can go wrong? (But at least you don’t have to clean up.)
The event starts at 2 p.m., so hydrate responsibly before you go.
More, HERE.
MoBo Bicycle Co-op, Queen City Bike, Ride the Cov, and some reliable volunteers are on hand at Saturday’s Covington Farmers Market for free bicycle safety checks and all-around wise counsel (about everything bicycles, that is).
So, tend to your produce needs and get your bike in working order.
Need your tires inflated? Spokes tightened? Slack taken up on brake and shifting cables? This is the place to come.
Because good stories always matter, experienced commuters will be on hand to share theirs and answer questions (particularly of interest to new riders who want to be in the know).
Simply bring your bike to the Farmers Market (you were planning to go anyway for the fall harvest, right?) HERE … and one of MoBo’s mechanics will work with you to make sure you’re safe to roll. Details, HERE.
If you want to attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other “pollinators” to your yard, you can get some free perennials on Saturday morning.
Managers at the Goebel Park Pollinator Garden on the north end of Goebel Park will be digging up and dividing plants to give away. Just show up (with pots or without), and you can walk away with any of a number of species, plus fact sheets on how to care for them.
It’s all part of the Mayor’s Monarch Initiative … (is anyone else thinking The Cov is on its way to becoming a Monet painting?)
Details, HERE.
Larry’s Dive Bar will celebrate turning 2 this weekend with – what else? – a hot dog eating contest.
Saturday evening’s event includes games, eating, drinking, music, fun … limited edition T-shirts. Details, HERE.
(For the record, the aforementioned Chestnut ate 76 hot dogs – and buns – earlier this year. In 10 minutes.)
57 Fury on Friday and Samsara Music Co. on Saturday at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, HERE … Andy Frasco & The U.N. on Saturday at Madison Theater, HERE … Magic Beans After Party on Saturday at Madison Live, HERE … Charlie Fletcher: A Concert on Sunday at Madison Theater, HERE.
And then there’s … Meet two awesome artists Saturday at Purple Paisley, Local Artisan Shop, … HERE and HERE … Cheer on the Bengals on Sunday at Covington Yard, HERE … and Marshall-Schildmeyer VFW 6095 Auxiliary’s 3rd Annual Kids Trunk or Treat (and costume contest) happens Sunday in Latonia, HERE.
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