New additions this year include the falconry presentation, Birds of the Gauntlet, and Axel the Sot, the Original Drunken Sailor. Ren Fest hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with special Labor Day hours on Monday, Sept. 7.
Cost: $21.95 for adults, $19.95 military, police, fire, EMS, seniors 65 and older and $9.95 for children ages 5-12. The festival runs weekends through Oct. 25. Call 513-897-7000 or visit www.renfestival.com.
2) “INTO THE WOODS”
Genre mashups are commonplace today in television programs such as ABC's "Once Upon a Time" and novels such as "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." That wasn't the case when Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's "Into the Woods" premiered on Broadway in 1987. The musical creatively integrated fairy tale characters from classic stories such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Jack and the Beanstalk." Dare to Defy Productions presents this modern classic at Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton, on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 4 and 5. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Cost: $25-$50. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
3) EATONIC MUSIC FEST
You wouldn't know it from the size and scope of the Eatonic Music Festival, but it is a first-time event. The three-day musical blowout at the Preble County Fairgrounds, 722 S. Franklin St., Eaton, Friday through Sunday, Sept. 4-6, was organized by Taffy's owner Manfred Schreyer and features a headlining set on Friday from blues legend Buddy Guy. The festival also features regional acts such as The Almighty Get Down, Noah Wotherspoon, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Scotty Bratcher, Nightbeast and Kelly Richey. Festival hours are 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Festival gates open at 3 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Cost: $49 Friday, $35 Saturday and $25 Sunday. $80 for three-day passes. VIP packages are available. Visit www.eatonicmusicfestival.com.
4) HOLIDAY AT HOME
Mardi Gras Comes to Holiday at Home is the theme of the popular annual community event, which returns to various locations in Kettering Saturday through Monday, Sept. 5-7. Holiday at Home 2015 features the Annual Gala from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, arts & crafts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, an auto show and children's zone from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and a 5K race at 8 a.m. Monday, followed by the parade at 9:55 a.m. Cost: free. Visit www.holidayathome.org.
5) CHUMP CHANGE
For the past several years, Alexander Hamilton and some of his performing friends have been entertaining audiences in Austin, Texas, with the Chump Change Variety Show. Attractions include foul-mouthed puppets, sword swallowing, burlesque performers and fire stunts. Hamilton and his crew are taking the sideshow act on the road for a two-week tour, which includes a stop at Vex, 101 S. St. Clair St., Dayton, at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. Tinderbox Circus Sideshow, Xander Lovecraft and Bella LeBlanc will also perform. Cost: $5. Visit www.facebook.com/mrhamiltonchumpchange.
6) COUNTING CROWS
Summer is coming to a close at The Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights. The new outdoor amphitheater wraps up its first season of operation with a concert by the Counting Crows at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8. The Bay Area band first burst onto the national consciousness in the early 1990s with the hit single "Mr. Jones." Doors open at 6 p.m. Special guests Citizen Cope and Hollis Brown will also perform. Cost: $48-$72. Call 937-228-2323 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
7) “THE FULL MONTY”
Long before Channing Tatum was shaking his goods in "Magic Mike," there was "The Full Monty." The British film about a group of unemployed day laborers who turn to stripping was a surprise international hit upon its release in 1997. Three years later, "The Full Monty: The Broadway Musical" was adapted for the stage by Terrence McNally and David Yazbek. Human Race Theatre's presentation of the hit musical opens at the Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St., Dayton, on Thursday, Sept. 10. Show times are 8 p.m., with 7 p.m. shows Sundays and Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Cost: $32-$40 opening night, $40-$50 the rest of the production. "The Full Monty" runs through Oct. 4. Call 937-228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
8) FAIR AT NEW BOSTON
Each year at this time, thousands of Ohioans visit the Fair at New Boston to take a trip back in time to experience life the way it was in the early 1800s. The annual event, at George Rogers Clark Park, 936 S. Tecumseh Road, Springfield, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6, features historical recreations, battles, artisans and merchants. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Cost: Advance tickets $8 adults, $3 children 6-11. Gate prices $10 adults. $7 active military with ID, $3 children 6-11, free for ages 5 and younger. Two-day adult tickets are $10. Call 937-882-9216 or visit www.fairatnewboston.org.
9) DAYTON REGGAE FEST
The annual Dayton Reggae Festival returns to Dave Hall Plaza, Fourth and Jefferson streets, Dayton, on Sunday, Sept. 6. Music begins at 1 p.m. with a set from Ras HoneyComb. Other acts include Burning Bush, Lungu Vybz and Dougie Simpson & Faith. The festival concludes with the Reggae Unity Jam hosted by Seefari. Niki Dakota from WYSO-FM (91.3) will emcee the event, and DJ SKNO from the Core DJ's will be spinning reggae and dancehall between sets. Cost: free. Call 937-333-8400 or visit www.downtowndayton.org.
10) TED RALL
As a syndicated cartoonist, author and columnist, Ted Rall is accustomed to tackling difficult subjects, whether it's war, police corruption or politics. For his new graphic novel, "Snowden," the Kettering native examines the actions of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden. Rall, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated cartoonist, introduces "Snowden" at Books & Co. at The Greene, 4453 Walnut St., Beavercreek, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. Cost: free. Call 937-429-2169 or visit www.booksandco.com.
About the Author