If you’ve found yourself around the Contemporary Arts Center recently, you may have noticed a new place on the scene. Filled with picnic tables, artificial grass, a pool table, and one seriously impressive front counter, Mint: Millie’s in Town serves up southern-style soul food from its Sixth Street location. Owner Deronn McCollum originally opened Millie’s in 2021 as Millie’s Plughouse in Green Township, named in honor of his cousin Millie and his own sobriquet. “I go by the name of ‘Jamaican Car Plug,’” he explains. “That’s where Plughouse came from—Plug’s House.” See, McCollum never set ou ..read more

You’ll be able to learn about Appalachian culture, including the culture of native tribes from the region, at the Cincinnati Appalachian Festival. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE CINCINNATI APPALACHIAN FESTIVAL With festival season starting up, your summer calendar is sure to start filling up. Whether you’re out celebrating tattoo arts, Appalachian culture, or your own mom, there will be a good option for you in town this weekend. Steve Day Streetside Brewery is dedicating a day to all the Steves in our lives. If your name is Steve or someone you know is named Steve, bring them down to the Columbia ..read more

We looked into some of the area’s eponymous establishments and found some interesting history. Crowley’s Irish Pub Opened by William “Specs” Crowley as Crowley’s Highland House Café in 1937, this establishment is one of the oldest bars in the city. The bespectacled former banker lost his job during the Depression and bought the bar for three months’ back rent and eight cents in back taxes. Members of the Crowley family have been running it ever since. 958 Pavilion St., Mt. Adams, (513) 721-7709, facebook.com/crowleysirishpub Jerry’s Jug House Jerry’s dates back to Prohibition when those were ..read more

Embed from Getty Images Striker Aaron Boupendza transferred from Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab FC to FC Cincinnati on June 12, 2023. He had 63 goals in 138 professional appearances, had scored five times for the Gabon national team, and was seen as a proven goalscorer with experience in multiple Asian first division leagues. Boupendza’s arrival was critical to the club’s present and future. He was a direct replacement for the departed Brenner and insurance for Brandon Vazquez’s eventual departure, while also bolstering a 2023 regular season steamroller that won the Supporters’ Shield. Bou ..read more

Camp Springs Tavern PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANCE ADKINS Camp Springs Tavern In the shadow of St. Joseph Camp Springs church, Camp Springs Tavern has been a gathering spot for the citizens of northeastern Campbell County since the 1880s. Keith and Amy Neltner bought the place in 2016 and literally plastered the walls with the place’s history—photos from the bar’s past hang inside, and the names of previous owners are painted on the wall outside. Every other Thursday is Bluegrass Night, where local pickers roll up and jam; Saturday brings other regional musicians to the stone room. As they say, “Enjoy t ..read more

The Monkey Bar and Grille. PHOTOGRAPH BY LANCE ADKINS The Monkey Bar and Grille Located off the Loveland Bike Trail, you’ll find a bar on the Little Miami River. The building was originally built in 1841 and was known as the Train Stop Inn until 2016. At the bar you’ll find an extensive selection of bourbons, but if you’re in the mood for a cocktail, get the Monkey Rum Runner. It’s made with two kinds of rum, banana liqueur, pineapple and orange juice, and grenadine. Many who frequented this bar in the 1970s and 1980s may remember that there was an actual monkey who lived there, Sam the beer-d ..read more

The headline over this illustration of a deadly streetcar said it all: “While English Corporations Safeguard Lives, Americans Pay Enormous Sums In Damages.” IMAGE EXTRACTED FROM MICROFILM BY GREG HAND Cincinnati’s commuters have complained about mass transit since the first horse-drawn omnibuses started hauling passengers in 1859. By the late 1880s, the Queen City offered a selection of transport systems, from steam-powered inclines to equine-powered horsecars that struggled to ascend the city’s hills to a couple of cable-car routes on Vine Street and Gilbert Avenue. Each had its detractors. I ..read more

Binski’s Bar PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANCE ADKINS The Crow’s Nest  Once, the corner of West Eighth and Nebraska was the end of the Elberon streetcar line, and Crowe’s Park, with seating for 400, hosted amateur baseball games. The streetcar and field are gone now, but The Crow’s Nest (established in 1895) endures. The main barroom retains its pressed-tin ceiling and wall panels, and the bar, with a small plaque marking the “Bullshit Corner,” is usually lined with welcoming, chatty regulars. There’s a room next door for live music on weekend nights, a patio with cornhole boards, and weekend brunch ..read more

Check out my April preview column for interesting movies that might still be playing on local screens. Now for the May highlights….   “I Saw the TV Glow”I Saw the TV Glow [Watch the trailer. Opens May 17 at the Esquire Theatre, Clifton.] The A24 studio has transformed art house theaters in recent years with such edgy and smart action films, comedies, and dramas as Everything Everywhere All at Once and Love Lies Bleeding, introducing millennials to independent movie houses that were not previously on their multiplex-dominated radar. The distributor hopes I Saw the TV Glow, a thriller with ..read more

This highly successful iteration of the Bengals was built conservatively. Drafting Joe Burrow first overall was as safe a selection as any team could make. Ja’Marr Chase vs. Penei Sewell was a fun philosophical exercise, but you couldn’t go wrong with either. Outside of the top five in the draft, Cincinnati’s strategy under Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor has been to target good citizens with a high floor, reliable if unlikely to become stars. The free agent signings of note—Hendrickson, Reader, Hilton, Awuzie, Bell, Karras, Cappa, Brown—were solid investments of good but hardly cap-busting money. O ..read more