Editor’s note: This year’s season-end recap was written by Ryan Schatzman, a Second Sunday on Main volunteer and dedicated member of the festival planning committee. This festival couldn’t be possible without the boundless energy, enthusiasm and generosity of the SSOM committee and team of volunteers that showed up through sunshine and rain each and every Second Sunday of 2014. Thank you!
By Ryan Schatzman
As the cool breeze shifts spotted shades of burnt-orange and plum purple across the canvas of our surrounding hills, fall in Over-the-Rhine is the perfect time to reminisce about the colorful moments we’ve created during the 2014 season of Second Sunday on Main. This year saw many new faces and fresh ideas, each a reflection of the beautiful energy that characterizes our monthly Main Street shindigs. There’s a special kind of magic that happens when the neighborhood turns out for these occasions, painting crosswalks, hula hooping in the street, browsing and buying artistic creations with a beer and barbecue tacos in hand. It gives true context to the meaning of “community,” a context that grows brighter and bigger with each new brush stroke we add to our big picture together.
Hooping with Hoop Roots (photo credit: Max Larson)
SSOM has a lot to be thankful for this year. But, before we start the highlight reel of excellent times, we’d like to begin our thanks with you, the loyal patrons, creative vendors, curious persons and faithful followers of Second Sunday. You are the MVPs of 2014. Without you, we would be the loneliest, lamest non-happening celebration in the city. Your support for local businesses, desire to be part of and efforts to contribute to what we’re trying to build here is our inspiration to make this event better at every possible turn, and we get serious kicks out of converting everyone’s ideas into a playful reality with you. So thank you, for the diverse, quirky and curiously fabulous people that you are. Don’t ever change.
ArtWalks Crosswalk Painting by Art on the Streets (photo credit: Max Larson)
Next, we’d like to thank our presenting sponsors, Rosemary and Mark Schlacter, whose generous contribution keep Second Sunday on Main coming back year after year. Special thanks also goes to our supporting sponsors, 3CDC, Cincinnati Sports Leagues, Lightborne, Main Street OTR, MOTR Pub, the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce, Urban Sites, Yelp, as well as our media partners, WVXU and UrbanCincy, and our programming sponsors, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, Below Zero Lounge, Enjoy the Arts, and Pallet23. Thank you for fueling the fires that light Second Sunday on Main; we look very much forward to continued years of success with such excellent community partners.
And so, without further ado, we take a look-see at some of the moments that made 2014 an especially vibrant year for Second Sunday on Main.
Inspirit Arts Headwrap Demo with Handwoven Head Scarves (photo credit: Max Larson)
Art Academy of Cincinnati’s “Poetry While You Wait” (photo credit: Max Larson)
Dancing in the Streets (photo credit: Max Larson)
Peas in a Pod (photo credit: Max Larson)
Baba Charles, CIC Percussion and Escola de Samba (photo credit: Max Larson)
Food Truck Noms from Red Sesame and Roll With It Cafe (photo credit: Max Larson)
Dreaming of Dojo (photo credit: Max Larson)
The Most Stylish Dog (photo credit: Max Larson)
Each month, different activities provided the spice of life for everyone in attendance. Here’s a recap of the programming that made each month an extra-awesome time.
June 8: Main Street Block Party
The Hot Magnolias and Good Graeff headlined the MOTR stage for the kickoff weekend, while Whitfield Crocker, Josh Eagle, Mark Utley, the Butler Tech School of the Arts Ensemble and the Raglinaires took to the Rock Paper Scissors tent on the south end for an afternoon of groovy tunage. But the real stars of this Sunday were the four-legged friends in the Dog Days competition and parade – they really turned it up for their turnout. We also had our first-ever clothing swap and hosted the first Celebrity Chef demo of 2014 at Mr. Pitiful’s.
Clothing Swap (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
Dog Days Parade (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
Nicola’s at the Mr. Pitiful’s Celebrity Chef Demo (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
July 13: Pride on Main
The Sunday Funday crowd showed up in most colorful fashion for Pride on Main, which was especially memorable thanks to the Missed OTR Drag Queen contest, the Tryke Races and Drag Races organized by July’s presenting sponsor Below Zero Lounge. Green Eyes and Hugh Bob and the Hustle rounded out the entertainment on the MOTR stage, while the Archers, Ben Hershorin and Hoop Roots anchored the fun times on the north end of the street and Equator Bear, Moriah Haven Lawson, Nancy Paraskevopoulos and Jari Piper provided the entertainment at the Rock Paper Scissors tent on the south end. Despite a midday downpour, many neighbors mingled on Main all the way to the end.
Issue 8 Support (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
Art on the Streets Crosswalk Painting (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
Water Balloon Fight (photo credit: Max Larson)
Arts & Crafts at Higher Branches (photo credit: Brooke Shanesy)
August was an especially rockin’ month thanks to our event sponsor Cincinnati Sports Leagues, and the weather was here to cooperate with our festivities this time. CSL brought games to play in the middle of the street for anyone that wanted to put their athletic abilities on for show. Jeecy and the Jungle anchored the MOTR stage that afternoon, while Aaron Collins, bands from the the Butler Tech School of the Arts, Jacob Tippey and Kristen Carpenter, and The Saudades took to the Rock Paper Scissors stage.
Soccer with Cincinnati Sports Leagues (photo credit: Max Larson)
Sunday Pride (photo credit: Max Larson)
Screen Printing with the Art Academy (photo credit: Max Larson)
Jeecy and the Jungle (photo credit: Max Larson)
September 14: Take the Stage
Enjoy the Arts presented a showcase of Cincinnati performers, artists, musicians, dancers at more this month, featuring Elementz, the Know Theater, the Young Professionals’ Choral Collective, the Cincinnati Ballet (second company), DANCEFIX at HBDC, Baba Charles and the Samba Parade Drummers. Jimi Dean from The Rookwood and Rom Wells from Cheapside teamed up for this month’s Celebrity Chef Demo, and Red Sesame Korean BBQ, Dojo Gelato, Bistro de Mohr, Urban Kitch’n, and Roll With it Cafe food trucks fed the hungry masses.
Area’a from Elementz on the MOTR Stage (photo credit: Max Larson)
First-time vendor Ohio Valley Beard Supply (photo credit: Max Larson)
SSOM’s September Beer Ambassadors, Asian Food Fest (photo credit: Max Larson)
October 12: Fall Carnival
The highlight of the day was the Little Creatures Costume Parade, which saw kids and dogs dawning their Halloween best for a stylish strut up the street with Baba Charles. We also introduced the first pumpkin market near Rock Paper Scissors, hosted by Adopt-A-Plant, painted another crosswalk with Art on the Streets, and found a groove in the hoop scene with Hoop Roots. Mapi De Veyra and Tyler Delmatto of Quan Hapa and the Asian Food Fest hosted the October culinary demonstration in Mr. Pitifuls, and some of our favorite faces took to the streets in support of Union Terminal.
Halloween Spirit (photo credit: Max Larson)
Second Sunday on Main’s Festival Organizer (photo credit: Max Larson)
October’s Chef Demo with Quan Hapa (photo credit: Max Larson)
October’s Little Creatures Costume Parade (photo credit: Max Larson)
October’s Adopt-A-Plant Booth (photo credit: Max Larson)
This year was packed with more vendors, different activities and diverse music than ever before, but we’re just getting started. We’ll be working hard in the offseason to offer more interactive programming, to create better ways to communicate with and learn from our merchants, vendors and patrons, and to make Second Sunday on Main a more engaging event for everyone to anticipate. We’re always on the hunt for thoughts, suggestions, ideas and great minds to help us improve… so if you have any of these and would like to contribute, give us a shout on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @SSonMain! Otherwise, we’ll look forward to seeing you when the freeze retreats and green life springs forth in the city, bringing with it the promise of fantastic times together again. See you in 2015!