Cyclops Fest, the Rubber Duck Regatta and Oktoberfest are just a few of the festivals and fairs cropping up in the Dayton area. Get ready to go out, pick up some unique swag and fill up with fatty fair food.
Last weekend was Cyclops Fest, a festival showcasing purely handmade goods from local artists and artists around the country. It opened up in downtown Yellow Springs at the John Bryan Center on Saturday, Sept. 14. The point of the festival was to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit that is prevalent in the local culture, organizers said.
“We wanted to have a festival that featured purely handmade goods, but also represented the culture too,” said DJ Galvin, one of the festival’s organizers. “Along with that goes the music and the food trucks. They’re all small businesses that all work hard.”
Cyclops Fest showcased 80 handmade artists selling their goods, food vendors like local favorite Zombie Dogz, a troupe of street performers known as “Captain Johnny’s Whiz Bang” and four DJs playing hip-hop, soul and rhythm & blues tunes.
Coming up this weekend is the 10th annual Rubber Duck Regatta sponsored by United Rehabilitation Services (URS), which will float by on Saturday, Sept. 21. The festivities will begin at 3:45p.m. with the “Quacky Kid’s Parade.” At 4:30 p.m. is the Big Drop, when the 15,000 ducks that are registered for the regatta will be dropped by crane into the Great Miami River.
The owners of the first 9 ducks that cross the finish line will win prizes such as two Southwest Airline tickets worth $500, a house boat vacation and the grand prize, a 2013 Chevy Spark. Those interested in adopting a duck can go to the Dayton Ducks website to adopt a duck and get more information.
If you like beer and sausages, Oktoberfest is the place to be. The Dayton Art Institute is preparing to host its 42nd Oktoberfest, scheduled to officially start on Friday, Sept. 27 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 29.
Oktoberfest will kick off with the Preview Party, which will be held on Friday, Sept. 27 from 7 to 11p.m. and will continue with the official Oktoberfest, which will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29.
These events will include a wide variety of beer, with craft, domestic and international available, a Weingarten, wine-tasting seminars, live music, as well as family-friendly art activities, according to organizers.
Oktoberfest will be open from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
