Last night was my first event that I’ve attended as a Yelp elite. The Yelp Mustache Bash took place at Arnold’s  and was open to the public, but elite members and their guests were treated to complimentary drinks and snacks. This was also my first time visiting Arnold’s and I look forward to returning in the future for a full meal, though I will probably skip the outside courtyard if it’s as hot as it was out there last night. Fortunately the tasty treats and the rocking music made up for it.

Outside Arnold’s

After work I picked up my son and then met up with my wife and some friends to take in the event. I should have grown a real mustache for the party but fake ones were provided for all in need. Fortunately my wife scored a table on the courtyard directly in front of the stage so we could fully enjoy the music provided by The Turkeys. A friend of mine introduced me to the band a few years ago, so obviously he jumped at the chance to see them play with free food and drink. They played for an hour and seemed to be really well received by the audience. I hope to see them again soon.

Three Mustached Amigos

As I mentioned, there was free food and drink (including beer and vodka cocktails) for us after 7pm. We all enjoyed a few rounds of Christian Moerlein beers. Their Fifth & Vine Oktoberfest Marzen was available and I found that especially tasty. I look forward to having more of those over the next couple of months. The appetizers were also pretty good though not quite enough for an entire meal. We all ended up stopping in at Taqueria Mercado after The Turkeys had finished their set for a little grub. Full review of our meal there to be posted in the future.

Tasty Finger Foods

Another Pig-Fest has come and gone. After taking last year off, the party this year seemed especially fun. For those who lost track this was the seventeenth annual pig roast, though we called it the eighteenth after last year’s mini party. The teams I played on in both wiffle ball and cornhole bowed out of the tournaments after our first games, which actually gave me a little free time to socialize during the day.

Later in the evening our good buddy MER put on a three-hour show for all in attendance, including the standard set closing sing along performance of “Friends in Low Places” with myself and my family all on stage. I recorded the entire performance so look for that to be online sometime in the next couple of weeks.

There are already a good amount of pictures showing up on  Facebook  with many more still to come. I will update the website as additional pictures are uploaded. I really hope that I get to see everyone again next year.

Saturday afternoon we met up with some friends at the  end of Paddlefest,  the largest canoe/kayak paddling event in the Midwest with  over 2,000 paddlers making their way down the Ohio river. Though we didn’t get to see very many of the kayaks as we arrived too late, we were able to enjoy the  Gold Star Chili Finish Line Festival at Yeatman’s Cove. We walked through the numerous booths filled with books and gear to find the Mt. Carmel Brewing Company booth. There we enjoyed a couple of beers with our friends while listening to a polka band. I didn’t get any photos of the event, but found some on this blog. I even make an appearance on the far right side of this photo from Thadd’s blog.

After the event we stopped by our friends’ new apartment at Current At The Banks. They too just moved back to Cincinnati after years spent living in Denver and then in San Francisco. Their new place is impressive and will only be better once more restaurants, shops, and bars open on The Banks. Here is a photo of the view they have out their window on game days.

Great American Ball Park

I hope you enjoy the video above that my dad, brother, and I put together yesterday. Don’t miss Pig-Fest XVIII: Return of the Pig on August 20th, 2011. We announced the date over a month ago, but we finally put together the invitations and sent them out via facebook last night. Our good friend MER has agreed to come back and I’m sure the quest for the Pig Cup will be back as well. It is sure to be another great time!

For anyone looking for something to do tonight in Cincinnati, meet us at the Rock On for Autism Speaks fundraiser at St. William’s Church Undercroft (4108 West 8th Street) from 8pm to midnight. All proceeds support Walk Now for Autism Speaks: Cincinnati through team PAWS. Entry is just $15 per person of $25 per couple.

In addition to the big race on Sunday, we also headed downtown on Saturday morning for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This was the fourth year in a row for us and we stood in the same parking lot as always at 17th & Blake. This year we had a stroller to help carry all of our supplies, namely  Guinness  and sandwiches. The parade and crowds were a little too noisy for Trey at times, but toward the end he seemed to enjoy being outside for the nice day. Every year the weather is always beautiful for this parade, though it did cool off toward the end this year. Here are a couple of photos that we snapped throughout the day.

Taking a break with Trey.

Hanging with Marisa and Rob.

Trey settled into the Moby wrap.

This past Saturday, the Tour de Fat came to Denver bringing it’s traveling festival full of bikes, entertainment, and of course New Belgium beer.   Kim and I decided to bike up to the starting point, City Park, early in the morning to arrive in time for the 10am bike parade departure.   We barely made it in time, and found some friends of ours along the route.   The parade is just a really large bike ride, covering around six miles of the downtown Denver area.   The large crowd and many stop lights made it rather difficult to actually ride a bike at times, but we all made it to the end around two and a half hours after starting.   After the parade everyone headed back to City Park for various performances, exhibits, and beer from New Belgium.   I would have expected more beer booths than provided, which led to really long lines, so we didn’t stick around for too long, but we had a good time anyway.

While back in Cincinnati I also got the chance to see the WEBN Fireworks  for the first time in a while.   My family used to head down to the Serpentine Wall early each Sunday morning  before Labor Day with blankets, games for entertainment, and a bucket of chicken.   The seating on the wall is a prime location  for watching the fireworks which are launched  from barges on the Ohio River.   From this viewpoint, you are seated  just over 500 feet from the fireworks launching position on the barges.   Needless to say it is very loud, but well worth it for the gorgeous view of the fireworks.   Here is a video I shot with my iPhone during the finale of the show.

You know it’s loud when the microphone on your phone stops working! I didn’t have anything other than my camera phone, so I left the real picture-taking for my mom. Also included in this photo set are photos from the second baby shower over at Kim’s parents’ house.

Kim and I traveled back to Cincinnati over the weekend.   Our families hosted a couple of baby showers for the ladies  on both Saturday and Sunday.   Saturday was at my parents house, while Sunday was at the Hais’ house.   Many of the guys got together on Saturday afternoon to play a quick round of golf before heading over to my parents for a mini Pig-Fest  party.   My parents decided not to have their annual summer blowout this year, and instead had a small family gathering with pulled pork sandwiches, cornhole, and a giant TV screen to watch videos and football.

Despite not having a band, wiffle  ball, or other Pig-Fest staples, we had a great time.   It was definitely way more low-key than past parties, but I think many people enjoyed that.   Time will tell if my parents will go back to having a big “Pig” but I’m hoping that they do.   How can our future child never experience one of these legendary parties?   Here are some pictures my mom took from the baby shower and mini Pig-Fest.

My friends Karen and Aaron were married in Newport, Rhode Island at the beautiful Belle Mer Island House  a couple of weeks ago.   It was a wonderful time with many close friends, wonderful food, and delicious drinks.   Before helping them celebrate their wedding vows, we also spent time exploring Newport.   We had  a big group dinner at the Brick Alley  the night before, which might be my favorite meal of the trip.   I would highly recommend the  Triple Hot! Hot! Hot! Buffalo Pasta. Earlier on the day of the wedding, we took a tour of the famous Breakers mansion  and enjoyed a nice lunch at the Marina Cafe & Pub.   I really enjoyed our time in Newport, but the large tourist crowds and traffic congestion made me happy to only be spending a couple of days there.

Newport on Dwellable