Top 10 things to do Mother's Day weekend in Cincinnati

With all the excitingevents happening in Cincinnati this weekend, there's so much to do – and so little time. Pick your flavor (quite literally) with food-centered festivals such as Smoke on the River BBQ Fest and the Loveland Food Truck Rally. If you're looking to get a sweet new tat, make a stop atVillain Arts Tattoo Festival. Learn more about Appalachian culture at the Appalachian Festival, and "bee" sure to buzz around the Pollinator Festival.

Don't forget to spend time with your loved ones this Mother's Day. If you need ideas on ways to celebrate,treat your mom to tea or brunch, set sail on an Ohio River cruise or sign up for a floral-themed workshop.

Have an event you'd like us to know about? Submit it online atcincinnati.com/events, and we'll tell the world about it.Head to that same site to peruse our full calendar of events.

1. Smoke on the River BBQ Fest

Feast on barbeque, listen to live music, and enjoy scenic views of the Ohio River.

Details:5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport. Free admission.facebook.com.

2. Villain Arts Tattoo Festival

At the Cincinnati Villain Arts Tattoo Festival, special guests include "Ink Masters" James Vaughn, Holli Marie, Al Fliction and more. Entertainment includes tattoo contests, sideshow artists that include contortionists, magicians and burlesque. Unique vendors and exclusive merchandise.

Details:2-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, First Financial Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. $40 3-day pass, $20 per day.villainarts.com.

3. Celebrate Mother's Day

Celebrate your mother this weekend, whether you want totreat her to a brunch, a cruise on the Ohio or a fun floral workshop.

The Lytle Park Hotel:11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday tea, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday brunch, Lytle Park Hotel, 311 Pike St., Downtown. Tea Tradition: $50 adult, $30 ages 10-under. Mother's Day brunch: $70, $35 ages 12-under. Register:opentable.com.

Petals in the Park:1-4 p.m. Sunday, Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Attend a hands-on workshop where you'll learn how to build a table arrangement.washingtonpark.org.

Brunch Cruise:1-3 p.m. Sunday, BB Riverboats, 101 Riverboat Row, Newport. $65 adults, $43 ages 4-12. Enjoy a buffet meal, and take home a souvenir photo.bbriverboats.com.

4. Appalachian Festival

Enjoy live music, cultural displays and demonstrations, dancing, storytelling, food and more.

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Details:10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Riverfront along Front Street, New Richmond. $15, $5 ages 5-17, free ages 4-under. Free parking. Cash only.appalachianfestival.org.

5. Pollinator Festival and 5K

Hear live music from the Mama Said String Band, step inside a butterfly garden and shop from a variety of local vendors. If you want to race, sign up for the Pollinator 5K, a timed walk/run along Miami Whitewater Forest's paved trails.

Details:9 a.m. 5K Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. festival Saturday, Miami Whitewater Forest, 9001 Mount Hope Road, Harrison. Sign up for Pollinator 5K:runsignup.com. More festival information:greatparks.org.

6. Spring Edition of Crafty Supermarket

Find meaningful, unique gifts for the moms, caregivers, friends and loved ones in your life. Or simply treat yourself. (You deserve it!)

Details:11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Music Hall Ballroom, 1241 Elm St., Downtown.craftysupermarket.com.

7. Westside Market

Sip and browse over 100 local small businesses, including artisans, creators and food vendors.

Details:10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Westwood Town Hall, 3017 Harrison Ave., Westwood. Monthly markets May-September.westsidemarketcincy.com.

8. Waynesville Street Faire

Stroll down Main Street and browse the goods of local artisans, makers and vintage curators. Find one-of-a-kind treasures and enjoy live music and food truck favorites.

Details:10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Main Street, historic downtown Waynesville.waynesvilleshops.com.

9. The Ultimate Tribute to the Bee Gees

Head to Taft Theatre to experience the sound of the Bee Gees live.

Details:7:30 p.m. Saturday, Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown.tafttheatre.org.

10. Loveland Food Truck Rally

Browse an assortment of food trucks and enjoy entertainment and live music.

Details:noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Shopper's Haven Plaza, 597 Loveland Madeira Road, Loveland. Free admission.business.lovelandchamber.org.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer:Things to do Mother's Day weekend in Cincinnati, May 8-10, 2026

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 06, 2026

Top 10 things to do Mother's Day weekend in Cincinnati

With all the excitingevents happening in Cincinnati this weekend, there's so much to do – and so little time. Pick your flavor (qui...

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Oprah’s new book club pick made her feel ‘transported.’ What did she choose?

Oprah Winfrey’slatestbook club pickis a new novel from a beloved literary voice.

Winfrey chose“John of John”by Douglas Stuart, theNational Book Award-nominated authorof “Shuggie Bain” and “Young Mungo.” “John of John” traces a complex father-son relationship against the backdrop of a small textile and farming town on a northern Scottish isle.

“I felt transported,” Winfrey said in a statement. “I could feel every aspect of this remote community where tradition and judgment quietly shaped everyone’s life. Douglas Stuart brilliantly weaved a layered, compelling and yet so intimate a story of identity, what it means to belong, and the courage to claim your own truth.”

Oprah’s Book Club pick for May: ‘John of John’ by Douglas Stuart

“John of John,” one ofUSA TODAY’s most anticipated booksof 2026, follows a young, broke graduate as he returns from art school to his hometown. John-Calum Macleod must weather the disappointed eye of his sheep farmer and devoutly religious father, who is distressed by how his son has changed and grown into himself in college.

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Winfrey calls the novel a "complex and compelling tale that ultimately showcases the transformational power of love in a hostile and judgmental world."

Stuart pulls from his own background as a fashion designer to create the textile community and art student protagonist in “John of John.” This novel continues to explore the parent-child dynamics Stuart dug into in “Shuggie Bain” and “Young Mungo.” His books often interrogate how expectations in small, conservative hometowns can be at odds with his protagonists’ gender and sexuality.

“The phone call from Oprah telling me she loved my book and wanted to share it with her book club will always be one of the greatest, and most surreal, calls of my life,” Stuart wrote in a statement. “What an incredible honor. I grew up in a home without books but we always loved stories and storytelling. Oprah's was the first book club I saw on television, the first to say that books are for everyone and that everyone is welcome. For three decades she has been bringing writers and readers together and I can’t express how thrilling and humbling it is to become a small part of that legacy.”

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find heron Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletteror tell her what you’re reading atcmulroy@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Oprah's Book Club pick for May made her feel 'transported'

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

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Oprah’s new book club pick made her feel ‘transported.’ What did she choose?

Oprah Winfrey’slatestbook club pickis a new novel from a beloved literary voice. Winfrey chose“John of John”by Douglas Stuart, the...

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Charlize Theron won't be giving her kids a free ride through life: 'They just need to get a job that pays them’

Charlize Theron doesn't want to give her kids a free ride through life.

Key Points

• The Apex star and mother of two shared that she wants her kids to "earn it" when it comes to big purchases like their first cars.

• She added that as adults, they'll need to get "a job that pays," because she won't be taking care of all the bills.

Charlize Theronwon't be giving her kids a free ride through life — or a free sports car, for that matter.

TheApexactress plans to instill a strong work ethic into her kids, especially once they hit young adulthood, Theron shared during a candid conversation withTherapusshost Jake Shane.

"First of all, your first car is going to be a Datsun, because you’re going to crash it," Theron told Shane, referencing daughters Jackson, 14, and August, 11. "You’re going to f--- it up somehow. You’re a new driver. So, we’re not getting, like, the nice car up front."

She added, "We need a little bit of experience, and we’re going to earn it."

When Shane asked if her kids would have to worry about getting summer jobs as teenagers, Theron didn't hesitate to confirm.

"Yeah. Every time we go to Starbucks, I’m like, 'Look at this … Do you see how friendly? You have to be that friendly every morning at 6 a.m. Start getting ready for it,'" Theron joked.

Theron, who adopted Jackson in 2012 and August in 2015 explained that while the kids are still years away from worrying about that, she wants to instill self-sufficiency from a young age, so they'll be able to take care of themselves through adulthood.

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"It’s too soon to kind of say where they’re going to end up," Theron said. "They just need to get a job that pays them, because I don’t want to support them for the rest of life."

The mother of two has long been candid about her approach to parenting and her decision to adopt two children to raise as a single mother. During a sit-down withCall Her Daddyhost Alex Cooper last year, Theron called the choice "one of the healthiest decisions I ever made."

She explained, "With women, it's always like, something must be wrong with her. She can't keep a man, and it's never part of the discussion of like, 'Wow. She's really living her truth.' I look at them and just be like, 'Do you know how f------ great it is to live exactly how I want to live, to experience motherhood exactly how I wanted to experience it?'"

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Theron noted that she has enjoyed the freedom that comes with being a single woman in her 40s, especially when it comes to raising kids without the challenges presented by coparenting.

"I know the next thing they say is like, 'Well, that's not fair on your kids.' Can I tell you something? That will be their story to tell," she continued. "I can only tell you that this is the best way that I know how to be a mother to them, and maybe they'll grow up and tell their story, and I will respect that. I just know that this was the only way that I knew I could do it, and my f------ god do I love every single day of it. I love that I don't have to share them with somebody."

She added, "I love that I don't have to run every f------ thing by a guy."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

May 05, 2026

Charlize Theron won't be giving her kids a free ride through life: 'They just need to get a job that pays them’

Charlize Theron doesn't want to give her kids a free ride through life. Key Points The Apex star and mother o...

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