Movers & Makers Cincinnati

21/09/2025

The best way to understand United States is by hitting the highways and exploring it.

On a recent road trip from Cincinnati to California, Polly Campbell was reminded that history, culture, and community live in unexpected places – from a town founded by formerly enslaved people in Kansas, to a Georgian-owned diner serving borscht alongside burgers.

Here’s what Polly found on her recent road trip in search of the Real America.

My childhood history of driving west is layered with every book or story, every myth ever told about this country’s history. Can’t help starting off with a “gone to look for America” vibe. Good fried dinner at Stroud’s in Kansas City, where they claim they “choke our own chicken.” Neil...

20/09/2025

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is celebrating its 150th anniversary this weekend with birthday bargains for visitors and big recognition on the national stage.

Ahead of its birthday, the zoo received two major honors: renewed accreditation and an international award for its conservation work.

18/09/2025

18/09/2025

Cristian Măcelaru is set to make his formal debut as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s 14th music director.

Ahead of those Music Hall performances, we caught up with Cristi to learn a little more about him and what CSO fans can expect under his baton.

Movers & Makers caught up with Cristian Măcelaru ahead of the start of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's 2025-26 season debut.

16/09/2025

A flatbed trailer carrying hundreds of plaster-coated dinosaur bones recently rolled into Cincinnati Museum Center, delivering the results of a seven-week dig in Big Sky Country to one of the nation’s largest vertebrate paleontology collections.

Read more about the dig at the link in the comments.

15/09/2025

“By establishing our first freestanding facility in Batavia, we’re creating a hub where individuals facing a variety of barriers to employment can access the customized support they need to achieve their goals," said Mark Hiemstra, president and CEO of Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries.

The facility is a one-stop hub where Clermont County residents can access resources for things like job training and disability support.

14/09/2025

We asked Greater Cincinnati’s community arts centers to pull back the curtain on what makes them tick. These neighborhood hubs don’t just host classes and performances. They fuel creativity, spark connection and keep culture close to home.

Some of the organizations you’ll recognize. Others may surprise you. All are making a difference. Those listed include: Clifton Cultural Arts Center, Kennedy Heights Arts Center, The Barn (WAC Cultural Center),Manifest Drawing Center, Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center, The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Middletown Arts Center, ArtWorks Cincinnati, Wyoming Fine Arts Center, The Carnegie, ArtsConnect Springfield Township and Peaslee Neighborhood Center.

Read on to see who is shaping the region’s artistic heartbeat.

We reached out this month to our area’s arts centers, locally focused organizations that bring cultural and artistic activities – and a sense of community – to their neighborhoods. We asked them to showcase their programs and amenities, as part of M&M’s continuing effort to recognize those i...

13/09/2025

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music - CCM has once again earned national spotlight, landing in Playbill's list of the top 10 colleges and universities with the most alumni performing on Broadway.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music had at least 40 alumni on Broadway stages between April 2024 and April 2025.

12/09/2025

Looking for things to do this weekend? Cincinnati and NKY have you covered - and the fun keeps going into next week!

🍂 Step back in time at Heritage Village Museum’s Fall Homeschool Day.
🎭 Don’t miss Cincinnati Ballet’s “New Works.”
🎶 Ty Zhang launches the Xavier Music Series.
🎨 CliftonFest Art & Music Festival is back with art, music and food on Ludlow Ave.
🎤 No Promises Vocal Band celebrates 10 years in Oakley.
🎬 Cineposium brings a special screening of Carol in Covington.
🎺 Jazz nights hit Washington Park and Fountain Square.
🎵 Plus, Seraph Brass takes the stage in Oxford.

Get the full list of weekend highlights below.

If you feel a little swing in your step this week, it might be all the great jazz you can hear from our fair city’s rooftops, parks and plazas. Dance, drama and divas are on tap, too, plus some history to absorb and historic skills to appreciate. Just another full week of arts and culture in Great...

11/09/2025

America’s River Roots Festival has canceled its ticketed headline concerts – shows by Weezer, Maren Morris, Mt. Joy and Janelle Monáe – in a move organizers say will ensure most programming during the five-day celebration of Ohio River communities remains free.

The local music lineup and other programming details are at the link below.

What are your thoughts on the decision?

The festival, set for Oct. 8-12 along the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky riverfronts, has long been billed as a free celebration of river city traditions.

10/09/2025

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news about the future of Movers & Makers Magazine.

As of Sept. 1, Movers & Makers Publishing – the nonprofit entity in charge of M&M – is now under the fiscal sponsorship of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Foundation (Cincinnati Regional Chamber).

What does that mean? In the short term, not much will look different; we’re still responsible for our own revenue, and advertising will continue to be our backbone. Long term, this gives us something invaluable: the support and advocacy of one of the region’s leading nonprofit organizations.

Going forward, we will pursue additional funding through grants, sponsorships and donations – opportunities that will help us grow and thrive. We’re already seeing progress: Greater Cincinnati Foundation has committed a $25,000 grant to help support our mission.

Our goal remains the same: to keep Movers & Makers shining a spotlight on what makes Greater Cincinnati special: its arts and culture, heritage and innovation, and its remarkable spirit of generosity and community.

So while little changes today, these partnerships set us up for a bright future, and eventually, a smooth handoff to the next generation.

Thanks for being part of our journey. We couldn’t do it without you.

Thom and Elizabeth Mariner, co-publishers