Soapicks March 31-April 6

Cans are the new limestone when it comes to making sculptures. The 12th annual Canstruction art exhibit is underway and on display this week at three downtown locations: The Weston Art Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts, the Taft Museum of Art and the Public Library of Cincinnati. Twelve teams comprised of the top design, architecture, construction and engineering firms in the city have come together to compete against one another to see who can build the best sculptures based on the theme “One Can.” The 8x8x8 feet creations used more than 47,000 canned goods to complete. That translates into the Freestore Foodbank receiving approximately $30,000 worth of food donations from the finished art works. Come check just how artsy a can of tuna can be. Exhibits run Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Non-perishable donations will be accepted in leau of admission.

Soaring High
April 4-5

As Mary Poppins would sing, “Let’s go fly a kite, up to the highest heights….” It’s that time of year again when the blue April skies transform into playgrounds for kites of all shapes and sizes for The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Kite Fest. This Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m.-5 p.m., the Voice of America Park on Tylersville Road will be a hub of family fun. It’s two days of kite-making lessons, parachute runs and chances to test your flying skills in the open areas. Watch as the national stunt-kite performers from the Chicago Fire Kite Team put on a show and animals from the Cincinnati Zoo make an appearance. Grab the kids, your girlfriend or if you have no one, your dog and head out to the park this weekend.

Play Ball
April 3

Northside Tavern is getting in the baseball spirit 

early. This Friday Jake Speed and his band The Freddies will do their annual Jake Speed Baseball show comprised of songs, skits, poems and pranks to celebrate the upcoming game. The show will be presented in radio format as a team of players outfitted in 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings take the stage and toss CrackerJacks into the audience. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, the music and comedy alone will make you wish you were being taken out to the ballgame on Monday. The show starts at 10 p.m. so don’t be late.

Parade of Tradition
April 6

Reds Opening Day is the biggest holiday in Cincinnati next to Christmas; for some it may be bigger. Tickets for the season’s opener against the Mets are hard to come by but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of the celebration. Join this year’s Grand Marshall, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, for the 89th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade as it makes it way from Findlay Market  where it heads south on Race to Fifth Street. It then turns east on Fifth, past Fountain Square and ends at Fifth and Broadway. Take a break from work 10:30 Monday morning and hangout with the thousands of other Reds fans who’ll be lining the streets to see the collection of floats and celebrities, including starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Fountain Square will be hosting an all day party with food, live music and a great viewing area for the parade. Come be a part of one of the oldest traditions in baseball.