The 25th annual Greater Dayton Lebanese Festival is this weekend. Summer can’t end in Dayton until this event has been crossed off the calendar for another year.

The three-day event, held at St. Ignatius of Antioch Maronite Catholic Church at 5915 Springboro Pike, features rides, music and dancing galore, and typically draws more than 10,000 visitors each year.

But let’s talk about the food.

Delicious Lebanese foods like Kibbee, Kafta, tabbouli, kabob, stuffed grape leaves, and beef and chicken Shawarma (similar to a gyro) are all hand prepared on site. But you must try the hummus dip, which is homemade, along with mountain bread and zhatar seasoning.

No dessert? No chance. Fresh Middle Eastern pastries are also promised to make your taste buds sing and your belly dance.

>> PHOTOS: Did we spot you chowing down at this year’s Bacon Fest?

Lebanese clothing will be available for purchase, with artifacts also on display.

>> 2 local restaurants take top prizes at BaconFest

A traditional Catholic Mass will take place Sunday at 10 a.m. The liturgy includes the ancient Eucharistic prayer in Aramaic.

>> PHOTOS: Did we spot you kicking off Dayton Beer Week at the Yellow Cab Food Truck Rally?

Admission and parking at the event are free. 

>>RELATED: 8 things we cannot wait for this fall in Dayton

Want to go?

WHAT: Greater Dayton Lebanese Festival

WHERE: 5915 Springboro Pike, Miami Twp.

WHEN: 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26

COST: Free

INFO: Call 937-428-0372 | Website

Looking for the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon? The Oregon District is throwing a party this weekend and there is a little something for everyone. Fifth Street is officially the place to be.

The Oregon District is known for its great nightlife, but it’s more than just a destination for drinks. It’s full of great shopping, incredible restaurants, and is the go-to spot for movie-goers, coffee drinkers, music lovers and everything in between. 

 »»5 reason you should go to District Day 2017

The Oregon District is throwing a soiree to celebrate its vibrancy and diversity, with the 3rd Annual “District Day” celebration, this Saturday, Aug. 25 from 12-6 p.m.

Here are all the reasons to check it out: 

SIT

The Oregon District’s patio game is strong (Think Lily’s Bistro, Corner Kitchen, Blind Bobs) and even stronger on District Day, when you can enjoy the vibrancy of the neighborhood at the “Pop Up Park” located at the plaza next to The Trolley Stop. Enjoy live music from Adrienne Rose and Noetic Navigator, while you watch the neighborhood happenings. Or if you’re looking for something a little quieter, grab a delicious coffee from Press and enjoy it in the park in the middle of the Oregon District, between Hess and Green Street. 

»» The best patios around Dayton

SHOP

There is plenty of great shopping in the Oregon District: Vintage Items at Feathers, Cool Clothes from Hedges and Wolf, eclectic pieces from Clash and Sterling Studios, and funky hats at Brim to top it all off.

Shop your way through the district and take advantage of all the great sidewalk sales happening on District Day. Local vendors will line the streets, and Omega Music will not only be selling tunes, but spinning records as well. There’s something to see, something to hear, and something to shop for everyone.  

>> Feathers in the Oregon District going strong after 40 years: ‘Every day I am amazed’

Stroll 

Take in the sights (and the amazing people watching) on District Day by making your way up and down Fifth Street. They’ll be large scale games like Connect Four and Jenga scattered around the District for the kiddies to enjoy. Pop into a shop, grab and pint, and keep on walking. The Oregon District isn’t just about Fifth Street though. Stroll through the historic neighborhood, and check out the beautiful houses and amazing architecture and other small businesses that I bet you didn’t know existed in the district. 

If you Sit, Shop, and Stroll through the Oregon District on District Day you’ll surely find that there’s more to the neighborhood than bars. There’s food, families, and major fashion too. There’s so much to see, tons to explore, and lots of fun to be had. Come down to the district with the whole family, it’s a day you won’t want to miss!

More info: Website | Facebook

»» 10 reason we love Fifth Street and the Oregon District, and why you should, too

Thirty-two food trucks came. Thousands ate. 

And, one truck was crowned champion. 

>> PHOTOS: Springfield Rotary Gourmet Food Truck Competition 2018

GRAND-PRIZE WINNER

Urban Vistro of Cincinnati was selected as the $10,000 grand prize winner of the 5th annual Springfield Rotary Gourmet Food Truck Competition on Aug. 18.

Judges included Doug McGregor (Seasons Bistro and Grille), Micah Berner (Cecil and Lime), John Da Rosa (Seasons Bistro and Grille), Tina Pavlatos (Visual Anatomy) and Lisa Freeman (Le Torte Dolci). The food truck was honored for its Borocado Martini dish. 

The judges tasted all the food trucks’ signature dishes and scored each dish based on numerous categories. 

When asked about his first time competing in the event, Urban Vistro owner Vitor Abreu had one word to describe the experience: “Incredible.” 

“We started our truck three years ago and Marty [of Marty’s Waffles] brought this event to our attention, but we kept missing the entry deadline,” Abreu said in a news release. “We wanted to be a part of it because it’s a true food truck competition, so we said to ourselves, ‘Let’s bring our A game.’” 

“It’s not just a rally. It’s trucks bringing their best and unique items,” he said. 

OTHER WINNERS

Mojo Tago, of Columbus, Ohio, with their Deconstructed Pork Belly Taco and Marty’s Waffles,  of Alexandria, Kentucky, with their Chicken and Waffle BLT were awarded the $5,000 runner-up prize and $2,000 third-place prize respectively, and Fat Racks Smoking Co. took home the second-ever $1,000 People’s Choice Award, which was voted on by attendees through the event’s mobile app. 

This year’s event featured 13 new food trucks and 19 returning competitors.

The money raised from the sales of drinks and T-shirts, in addition to corporate sponsorships, benefit the many charitable causes of the Springfield Rotary Club, such as helping individuals with disabilities, and supporting international projects, such as Polio Plus and various projects in Lesotho, Africa. 

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Food truck competition Springfield Rotary’s biggest fund-raiser of the year

“Since the inaugural event in 2014, we’ve raised over $100,000 for our various charities, which has increased the number of people our club can serve by 70 percent,” said Eddie Bell, Rotary member and food truck competition marketing committee chairman. “Most attendees don’t realize what a tremendous impact this event has on the local community and beyond.” 

The people depicted in Alice Gatewood Waddell’s “Dance to The MOVEMENT” are celebrating, but they aren’t victorious... yet. 

“It’s not a celebration of something that is a done deal,” the Kentucky-based artist said of the piece she created for the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center’s 25th anniversary celebration. “It is still in motion.”

The vibrantly colored mix-media piece was also created in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act. 

>> 3 things we can’t wait to get our hands on at Bacon Fest

Both anniversaries will be celebrated beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18 at Sinclair Community College, 444 W. Third St.

“It wasn’t until 50 years ago that people could take action if they said ‘we don’t want you to live here’,” Jim McCarthy, president and CEO of Miami Valley Fair Housing Center explained.

The original work will be for sale for $3,995 at the anniversary celebration.

Individual tickets are $90 and available at the Miami Valley Fair Housing website, mvfairhousing.com,  until 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18 

Admission includes two drink tickets per person, an appetizer bar, a dinner buffet and a dessert bar. 

The piece will be returned to Ed Dixon Art Gallery, 12 S. Ludlow St., Dayton if it does not sell at the event. 

Prints of the piece will be sold at the event and later on the center’s website for $250 each as part of the fundraiser.

 A special presentation will be made to the family of Willis E. Blackshear, a center board member and supporter, during the event. 

Blackshear, Montgomery County’s longtime recorder, died in Feburary. He was 57. 

>> RELATED: Willis Blackshear  worked to save people’s homes, ‘not afraid to speak up’

Part of Miami Valley Fair Housing’s mission is to eliminate housing discrimination against people due to “race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, or any other characteristic protected under state or local laws.” 

The 1968 Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act,  prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and disability, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website.

>>  Martha Stewart’ features Dayton couple’s big day at Dayton Art Institute 

If you love bacon, this event will blow your mind and your tastebuds.

The the sixth annual Bacon Fest is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18 at Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Boulevard, Kettering. 

The event challenges restaurants to provide innovative and tried-and-true recipes featuring bacon. A dozen restaurants will participate in this year’s festival. 

We’ve been studying the menus to map out our eating strategy. These 3 dishes have us dreaming happy bacon dreams. 

>> Bacon Fest is almost here, and people are REALLY excited about it

🥓1. BACON STUFFED GARLIC TOAST GRILLED CHEESE

 1776 Grill

• Bacon stuffed garlic toast grilled cheese, $6 

• Garlic Toast Grilled Cheese (GTGC), $3 

• Assorted chips, $1

🥓 2. BACON DREAM CAKE AND CHOCOLATE-COVERED BACON

Sweet-Umms Chocolatier

• Chocolate covered bacon, $3 each

• Strawberry Bacon Dream Cake, $6

>> 7 crave-worthy Dayton food festivals that will take you around the world 

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🥓 3. BACON BURGER BOMB EMPANADAS

El Meson

• Chicken or beef and bacon nachos: homemade corn chips smothered with shredded chicken, bacon, caramelized onion, salsa and queso blanco, $7

• Bacon Burger Bomb Empanadas: filled with bacon, beef, cheese and potato, $4 

• Cracked Out Tot-Chos: with bacon, queso blanco, shredded cheese and salsa, $7

• Chicken and bacon bowls: chicken, Rice, beans, lettuce, sour cream, cheese and salsa,  $8

• Chicken taco: lettuce, rice, cheese, sour cream and salsa, $4 each or  two for $7

• Fish taco: mango salsa, sour cream and bacon, $5 each or two for $9

• Arepa: sweet corn cakes with melted cheese and bacon, $6

• Bacon guacamole and chips,  $7

• Bourbon bacon brittle, $5

• Churros, three for $5 or three for $7 with bacon 

MORE BACON FEST MENUS

🥓Amber Rose Restaurant and Catering

• Bacon Cheddar Pierogies, 2 for $4

• White cheddar Applewood smoked bacon Mac & cheese, $4

• Applewood smoked bacon cheddar French fries, $6 Large 

• Jalapeno bacon carnitas nachos, $8

🥓 Archer's Tavern

• Bacon wrapped chili hot dogs (with cheese and onions), $6

• Bacon wrapped peanut butter and jelly hot dogs, $6

• Bacon wrapped hot dogs, $3

🥓Basil's On Market in Dayton 

• Bacon and smoked Gouda mac and cheese, $5

• Pulled pork tacos with bacon slaw, $5 each

• Buffalo wings, $5 for six

• BBQ corn on the cob,  $3

🥓Basil's on Market  in Troy

• Corn on cobb with bacon garlic butter,  $3

• Smothered bacon and Gouda French fries, $5

•"Top Dog" hot dog loaded with bacon and cheese sauce with chips,  $5

• Garlic Parm Wings, $5 for six

🥓 Dewberry 1850 

• Bacon Pound Cake: citrus bacon pound cake, bacon & tomato jam, $3

• “Chicken & Waffles”: waffle fries, Cotswold cheese fondue, shredded chicken and crumbled smoked bacon, $3

• Country green beans: sautéed green beans, red onions & smoked bacon, $2

🥓 The Dock Food and Spirits

• Bacon wrapped crab balls with lobster sherry sauce

• Salmon BLT taco with smoked bacon Aioli

• Cheesy Bacon Fries

•Bacon cheesecake with chocolate ganache

🥓 Duck Donuts

• Maple Glazed Bacon Donuts

🥓Giovanni's Fairborn

• Meatlover's Pizza, $5 

• Bacon meatball burger, $5

• Loaded bacon roasted potatoes, $4 • Garlic Parmesan corn on the cob,  $3 • Strawberry Cannoli cone,  $4 • Bacon lasagna, $4

🥓Marion's Piazza

• Bacon pizza slice, $3

• Whole pies available to go for $15

🥓Ritter's Frozen Custard in Kettering

• Five different Sundaes and four different Gelato options, $5 each

• Small dish of frozen custard or Italian ice, $3 each

• Sweetened Bacon Bits can be added to any item.

WANT TO GO?  

What: Bacon Fest 2018 

When: 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18 

Where: Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering

Cost: Admission is free 

More info: Facebook | Website 

You might become the coolest person in your neighborhood when you’re caught drinking a cold drink on your porch from your new Dayton glass tumbler — and it won’t cost you anything but a smile.

>>New Dayton Inspires mural revealed for local brewpub’s 6th birthday

>>2018 UpDayton Summit winning projects 

Dayton Inspires — the force behind the murals that can be spotted around downtown Dayton where people frequently stop to pose beneath the scrawled slogan to show off their Gem City pride — are hosting a prize giveaway this afternoon.

From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. this afternoon, the Dayton Inspires crew will be outside the BRIM hat store on Fifth Street, right in front of one of the city’s most popular murals, handing out brand new merchandise including basketballs, T-shirts, tank tops, pop sockets, drawstring bags, glass cups and water bottles

>>Aretha Franklin thrilled Dayton audiences for decades

“Thanks to the Mini-Grant Program through the City of Dayton, we’ve been able to create some really nice DI swag and look forward to sharing it,” said Dayton Inspires Program Director, Matthew Sliver. “Any opportunity we get to engage with the community, makes what we’re doing worth it — even if that’s just handing out prizes and talking to people who love Dayton.”

Anyone wanting to rep the new swag just needs to spin the Dayton Inspires wheel, take a photo in front of the mural and they will walk away with a piece of new merchandise. 

“We encourage all of those who take photos at the mural to #DaytonInspires on Instagram to continue promoting the movement and engage with them on social media,” Dayton Inspires told us in a press release. 

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Dayton Inspires Prize Giveaway in the Oregon District

WHEN: 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16th

WHERE: Outside of BRIM, 464 E. 5th St., Dayton

INFO: Facebook

Cyclops Fest, a celebration of the craft culture and community, is back. 

The Yellow Springs festival celebrating handmade items took a break last year but now, in its 7th year, festival organizers say the festival will be the best yet “with more to see, hear, taste and experience.” 

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Popular Dayton-area festival won’t be held this year

“We’ve realized that if anything came out of taking the last year off, it was that both our passion for this culture and our inspiration to connect the entire community is stronger than ever,” organizers said in a press release. 

JUST IN: Big expansion on tap for downtown Dayton brewery

The festival, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 8, will feature DIY (do-it-yourself) culture, independent makers, indie vintage sellers, food trucks and a beer garden. The Mosaic Institute of Greater Dayton will host an interactive community mural. 

RELATED: Cyclops Fest succeeds by targeting artisans

Typically, 90 vendors bring their handmade wares to the village, drawing 8,000 people. 

WANT TO GO? 

What: Cyclops Fest 

Where: John Bryan Community Center, 100 Dayton St., Yellow Springs 

When: Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Admission: Free 

More info and application for vendors: www.cyclopsfest.com/cyclopshandmadevendors/