There are plenty of craft beer tastings in the Dayton area but one of the largest and longest running is AleFest. One of the few comparable events is the offshoot AleFeast, which pairs beer with food from area restaurants. Both tastings were founded by Warped Wing Brewing president Joe Waizmann.
In 2014, Waizmann sold the two beercentric events to Amanda Pond and Jennifer Dean, who continue to curate programs with the latest in specialty offerings from local, national and international brewers. AleFeast returns to Dayton Masonic Center, 525 West Riverview Ave., Dayton, from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4.
This popular event pairs more than 75 craft beers from 30-plus breweries with dishes from area food purveyors such as Amber Rose, Fifth Street Brew Pub, Brock Masterson's and Esther Price. Cost: $50 in advance, which includes 20 tasting tickets. Tickets are $60 at the door. You must be 21 or older to attend. Visit www.alefest.com.
2) MAHLER’S FIFTH
Dayton Philharmonic Chamber Choir joins Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra at the Schuster Center, Second and Main streets, Dayton, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3 and 4, for "Mahler's Fifth." This Masterworks Series concert features this piece by Gustav Mahler plus Johann Sebastian Bach's "Motet No. 1" and Arnold Schoenberg's arrangement of Bach's "St. Anne Prelude and Fugue." Cost: $8 to $64.30. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
3) BARK ‘N’ BLING
As in previous years, SICSA has set aside two days for its Bark 'n' Bling fundraiser. The annual jewelry sale returns to SICSA, 2600 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 3 and 4. The Friday night Sip 'n' Shop Preview runs from 3 to 7 p.m., and the fundraising sale runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Cost: The Friday preview is $5, which includes refreshments, a raffle ticket and complimentary glass of wine or soft drink. Saturday admission is free. All proceeds benefit SICSA. Call 937-294-6505 or visit www.sicsa.org.
4) EKOOSTIK HOOKAH
Jam bands have been big business for a couple of decades, but that wasn't the case when Ekoostik Hookah formed in Columbus in 1991. Some key players have left the group over the years, but founding members Dave Katz and Steve Sweney continue to steer the musical ship. The OG's of the Ohio jam band scene return to town for a performance at Oddbody's Music Room, 5418 Burkhardt Road, Dayton, at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. Doors open at 8 p.m. Cost: $12-$15. Call 937-813-4272 or visit www.oddbodys.com.
5) SAME TIME NEXT YEAR
In his romantic comedy, "Same Time, Next Year," Bernard Slade imagined an adulterous affair that takes place in a nondescript hotel one day a year for 24 years. The 1975 play was adapted into a feature film starring Ellyn Burstyn and Alan Alda. Cheryl Dern directs Xenia Area Community Theatre's production, which opens at X*ACT Arts Center, 45 E. Second St., Xenia, on Friday, Feb. 3. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 12. Cost: $17 general admission, $14 seniors and students. This production runs through Sunday, Feb. 12: Visit www.xeniaact.org.
6) KEKE WYATT
KeKe Wyatt has been a professional singer since her stint in the first of several teenage girl groups but her biggest success has been in recent years as a solo artist and television personality. She has released four solo albums and appeared on television programs like "R&B Divas: Atlanta." In 2016, Wyatt released her latest album, "Rated Love," and appeared on the WE TV series, "Marriage Boot Camp." Wyatt performs at the Schuster Center, Second and Main streets, Dayton, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Cost: $54-$84. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
7) KAY WALKINGSTICK
Kay WalkingStick has been a highly regarded landscape artist for decades but until recently she had never had a major retrospective showing of her work. That changed in 2016 when the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian curated and presented her show, "An American Artist." The traveling exhibition opens at the Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton, on Friday, Feb. 10. WalkingStick will be in town to present an artist talk in the DAI's Renaissance Auditorium at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. Cost: Talk $5 for DAI members, $10 nonmembers. Exhibition is free for museum members, $14 nonmember adults, $11 seniors 60 and older, students 18 and older and active military, $6 youth 7-17, free children 12 and younger. Call 937-223-4ART (4278) or visit www.daytonartinstitute.org.
8) POETRY SLAM
Cincinnati poet Siri Imani is the featured performer at the next installment of the Dayton Poetry Slam at The Yellow Cab Bldg., 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Imani's work draws from her background as a former inner city youth and college athlete. Cost: $2. The next installment of Dayton Poetry Slam is on Sunday, Feb. 19. Call 937-203-8175 or visit www.yellowcabtavern.com or www.daytonpoetryslam.com.
9) MONDAY MUSIC FEST
Although Kitty McIntyre grew up playing music, she wasn't introduced to the world of bluegrass until she met her husband Vernon in the 1980s. The couple have been playing music together ever since. The McIntyre's will launch the 17th Monday Music Fest at the Library at Centerville Library, 111 W. Spring Valley Road, Centerville, at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. Cost: Free. The series continues with Lewisburg guitarist Eric Loy on February 13, Cincinnati piano player Greg Dastillung on February 20 and Michigan pianist Matthew Ball on February 27. Call 937-433-8091 or visit https://wclibrary.info.
10) JORDAN HART
In the fall of 2016, local photographer and outdoor enthusiast Jordan Hart embarked on a bicycle trip along the Underground Railroad, the route to freedom used by American slaves in the 1800s. In all, he rode more than 2,000 miles on his journey from Mobile, Ala. to Owen Sound, Ontario. The Adventure Speaker Series opens a new season with Hart's lecture, "Bike Touring the Underground Railroad," in Wright State University's Student Union, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Fairborn, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. Cost: Free. The series continues with Todd Soprych's "Bikepacking the Great Divide" on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Visit www.theadventuresummit.com.
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