The Friends of Smith Gardens and the City of Oakwood are pleased to present the “2023 Blanket Concert Series”. The Series is a community favorite and this year’s schedule offers something for everyone. Bring your blanket and join us at Smith Gardens located in the 800 block of Oakwood Avenue at the corner of Walnut Lane. Parking is available on Oakwood Avenue, side streets and around the City Building. In case of rain, the concerts will be held at the Oakwood Community Center, 105 Patterson Road.
Madcap Puppets: Fantastic Fairy Tales - Sunday, June 11, 2023 – 7:00 P.M.
***Location Change: Oakwood Community Center***
Madcap Puppets is based in Cincinnati, Ohio and is nationally recognized for engaging audiences through their original children’s theatre productions that include life size puppets. They work to entertain and educate children and adults.
Join us for this show as Flump, the royal court jester to the king, has accidentally overheard a plot by the Wizard Glistor, to turn the king into a mouse. To keep Glistor from knowing his plans, Flump entertains the crowd with stories until he can discover a way to stop Glistor’s sinister scheme. This life size play is sure to delight audiences of all ages. Bring the whole family to enjoy!
The Elements - Sunday, July 16, 2023 – 7:00 P.M.
Michael & Sandy Bashaw, Sharon Leahy & Rick Good
This auspicious nexus of four seasoned artists combine the energies of choreographer, composer, dancer, director, musician, playwright, sculptor, singer and songwriter.
Michael and Rick have known each other since their high school days in the late sixties. It was also then they first heard Sandy playing in local coffee houses. When Sharon hit the Dayton scene in the early eighties, it didn’t take long for all of them to recognize kindred spirits, rich in collaborative possibilities. In 1997, their first collaboration, Do You Remember This? sold out the 2,000 seats of Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio.
Playing their own, smart original material, along with the songs of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Miller, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Carter Family, among others, The Elements are drawn to melodies, harmonies and rhythms that call out to them with a feeling generated or a memory triggered, regardless of the source.
Add the excitement of Sharon’s step dancing and you have a show that brings Modern American Folk and Traditional Music to a new level of entertainment.
They have performed at different venues and events in the Dayton area including the Schuster Performing Arts Center, Porchfest Dayton, The Trolley Stop and more!
Blue Eighty - Sunday, August 6, 2023 – 7:00 P.M.
The alternative music of the 1980s has a strong hold on so many members of Generation X. This magical era saw synthesizers go mainstream, adding a lush orchestration to guitar rock, alongside melodic, emotional, often moody vocals. Groundbreaking groups like Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, and Talking Heads announced that music had something new to say. Niche radio stations like Cincinnati’s own 97x called out to the high school and college students of that era, eager to slip out of 70s rock spandex and embrace “the future of Rock N Roll."
To the members of Blue Eighty, the fact that this music is so seldom heard today in live performance represented a void that needed to be filled. In 2018, five seasoned musicians came together around this shared mission, compared playlists and found hours and hours of music that made all of them feel passionate about playing. Hearing Blue Eighty live is still a unique experience, as they remain Cincinnati’s ONLY 80s Alternative and New Wave band.
The band have thrilled audiences at local venues such as Bogart’s, The Ludlow Garage, MVP, OTR Stillhouse, Northside Tavern, and at public appearances for St. Cecilia Oktoberfest, Oakley Community Council, the Behringer-Crawford Museum and more.
Links to view more on Blue Eighty Band:
https://BlueEightyBand.com
https://Facebook.com/BlueEightyBand
These Events are Free!!
Location: Smith Gardens
Rain Location: Oakwood Community Center