TOGETHER WITH
Good morning, Dayton!
Here’s Your Daily Dose of Dayton
Did you know... the Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, which supplies Dayton's drinking water, is one of the most productive aquifers in the eastern United States - it holds an enormous reserve of groundwater in a gravel deposit left behind by glacial meltwater channels that are essentially invisible from the surface.
The inside track on local happenings:
Volunteers are cooking hot meals for families with a child in the hospital.
8,500+ runners and an earlier start for the 30th Air Force Marathon.
$32 million for veterans & a teen pilot preserving Ohio aviation history.
FOODIE FRIDAY
Dayton foodies, your weekend lineup of must‑try spots is here!
Panaderia El Ranchito
Walk in here and you are picking up a tray and tongs like you would at a village bakery in Mexico. The conchas are the reason to come, the bolillos are the reason to come back, and the tres leches cake handles any birthday you have coming up. Open every single day including Sunday, 8:30 to 6. Bring a friend, you will want the second tray.
📍2528 Valley Pike, Dayton📍
Sprouting Dreams LLC
This Black-owned truck makes its own plant-based Chick'n from scratch, and their CHICK'N & Waffles converts skeptics on the first bite. Add the Cajun Fries and the mac and cheese and you would never guess it is fully vegan. They finish it with kombucha floats, which is a genuinely great idea. Track them down, it is worth the drive.
📍 3916 Salem Ave, Dayton📍
Sky Asian Cuisine
Sky is where Kettering goes when it wants sushi and something more interesting than the usual. The Peking Duck is the special-occasion order and the Salmon Spring Roll Grenade is the one you will photograph before eating. The Sky Sashimi Plate is the way to sample widely. Fish is sourced specifically for the sashimi program, and you can taste that.
📍4090 Wilmington Pike, Kettering📍
DAYTON DIGEST
🏃 The 30th Air Force Marathon Starts Before Sunrise Saturday
More than 8,500 athletes from all 50 states and 18 countries are signed up for the 30th Air Force Marathon, about 15% more than last year. Because of expected heat, the full marathon now starts an hour earlier, at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The 10K and half marathon follow at 7:15 a.m., the 5K runs Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Nutter Center, and packet pickup opens there today at 3 p.m. New this year are an official ruck division and the Aim High Challenge, and the public is welcome at the museum's Finish Line Festival with food trucks and a band from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (airport-style security applies).
🏠 $32 Million Boost for Ohio Groups Keeping Veterans Housed
The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $32 million in grants to 27 community organizations across Ohio that help veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It's part of a record $1.17 billion shared among 680 organizations nationwide. The money flows through the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families and Grant and Per Diem programs, which fund supportive services, transitional housing, and intensive support. Dr. Lora Cox-Vance, chief of staff at the Dayton VA Medical Center, said the grants strengthen local partnerships and help reach veterans where they are.
✈️ This 17-Year-Old Pilot Is Saving an Ohio Airport's Story
At just 17, pilot Skyler Henn is preserving the history of the former Cincinnati-Blue Ash Airport through Fight or Flight, a documentary he's making with filmmaker Michael Holder. The project is personal: his late grandfather, Gene Henn, flew out of that airport, and the family sold his plane after the field closed on Aug. 29, 2012. Skyler's mom, Allyson Henn, composed the film's music and remembers the airport as a place where everybody knew each other. Skyler hopes the film reminds Ohioans to be proud of their aviation roots and inspires more young people to become pilots.
The Dayton Kitchen Where Hard Days End With a Home-Cooked Meal
When a child is in the hospital, Ronald McDonald House Southwest Ohio gives the whole family a place to stay nearby, and its Dayton House at 555 Valley St. offers 42 private guest rooms, play spaces, and laundry, all free of charge. A daily home-cooked meal is part of that care, made possible by volunteers through the Hot Meal Program, and the House is looking for more people to help cook. Karis McEllroy and her mother Dev Bissett have prepared two hot meals a month for years with their church, Cedar Family Table, paying it forward after McEllroy's family stayed at a Ronald McDonald House in Columbus during her adopted daughter's biggest surgery and found a hot meal waiting every evening. CEO Jennifer Loeb calls programs like Hot Meal "the heartbeat" of what makes the House feel like home, a reminder to families on their hardest days that their community remembers them. The organization, which also runs a House in Cincinnati and a Family Room inside Miami Valley Hospital, ranks No. 1 in the U.S. and among the top three in the world for nights of care provided, supporting hundreds of families every day.
🧡 Want to help? Donations can be dropped off at 555 Valley St. from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day of the year. Call ahead or visit the organization's website with any questions.
Read more — Dayton Daily News
Are you a Gem City Genius?
How well do you really know the city you call home?
What annual road race, held in Dayton since 2002, is a certified qualifier for the Boston Marathon?
Scroll to the bottom for the answer!
SOUND BITES
Your weekend guide to live music and karaoke across Dayton.
September 17, Thursday
UD Adult Music Program ft. New Horizons and the Celebration Chorus
Levitt Pavilion, 134 South Main Street, Dayton | 7:00 PM
Acoustic Junior
The Dublin Pub | 7:00 PM
Queeraoke
Blind Bob's | 8:00 PM
September 18, Friday
Free Jukebox Friday
The Dublin Pub | 6:00 PM
September's Laser Night - Abba
The Boonshoft Museum | 6:00 PM
Hangar 18 Concerts, Cosmo Joe's Atomic Lounge and Whiskey Brisket
Cosmo Joe's Atomic Lounge | 7:00 PM
Music Night with Sam Layman & Maia Grandy
Wayne & Clover Coffee Shop | 7:00 PM
The Foo Fighters Tribute - Back & Forth
The Hidden Gem Music Club | 8:00 PM
G. Scott Jones & the Freedom Ensemble
Whisperz Speakeasy | 9:00 PM
Club Cuts
Oregon Express | 9:00 PM
KPop vs Anime Afterparty Ft. Glotaku DJs
Yellow Cab Tavern | 11:00PM-2:00AM
September 19, Saturday
D. Gamble, DJ Nautii, FULLBODY, Felicity Rashad, Body Language, Proxy, and Trade Like Qualities
Yellow Cab Tavern | 8:000PM-2:00AM
Jazz Fest w/ Lao Tizer Band Ft Elliott Yamin
Levitt Pavilion, 134 South Main Street, Dayton | 5:30 PM
Body Language (DJ Tonic Birthday Edition)
Yellow Cab Tavern | 6:00 PM
Gunnar Gidner Solo
Whisperz Speakeasy | 7:00 PM
No Refunds
The Dayton Beer Company | 7PM-10PM
Glad Rags & Giggle Water
Whisperz Speakeasy | 9:00 PM
Luther Suede and NRG
Oregon Express | 9:00 PM
An Evening of Music and Community featuring the UD Adult Music Program, New Horizons, and the Dayton Celebration Chorus
Part of the PNC Community Series, this special evening celebrates lifelong learning, creativity, and the power of music to bring people together.
Based at the University of Dayton, the UD New Horizons Music Program creates opportunities for adults of all experience levels to begin or continue their musical journeys in a welcoming and supportive environment. Alongside them, the Dayton Celebration Chorus brings rich harmonies, joyful performances, and contagious energy that fills the lawn with connection and spirit.
Bring your lawn chairs or blankets, enjoy local food trucks, and spend an evening celebrating community and music in downtown Dayton. Everyone is welcome on the lawn.
📍 Levitt Pavilion
🗓️ September 17, Thursday
⌚ 7:00 PM
More Neighbors. More Fun.
Reach hundreds of locals in seconds. List your event on our calendar today and fill those seats.
OTHER EVENTS
The best things happening in Dayton Thursday through Saturday: festivals, markets, pop-ups, and more.
September 17, Thursday
Dakota Center Food Pantry
Dakota Center | 11:00AM-2:00PM
Teen DIY: Anime Craft and Snack Tasting
Dayton Metro Library - Burkhardt Branch | 3:30PM-5:00PM
Open Mic - Comedy
Bricky's Comedy Club | 7:00 PM
Hit the Mics! with Gem City Comedy
The Escape | 8:30 PM
Hit the Mics! with Gem City Comedy
Nimbus Comic Cafe | 8:30 PM
Hit the Mics! with Gem City Comedy
The Barrel House | 9:30 PM
September 18, Friday
Midwest Idol Fest x Night Market
Yellow Cab Tavern | 6pm-2am
Hit the Mics! with Gem City Comedy
Bricky's Comedy Club | 7:30 PM
September 19, Saturday
Autumn Fest 2026
Learning Tree Farm: 3376 S. Union Rd. Dayton | 10:00AM-4:00PM
25th Annual Dayton Hispanic Heritage Festival & Parade
RiverScape MetroPark | 11:00AM-11:00PM
Disco Drag Revue
The Barrel House | 5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Riot Rose Cabaret
Cosmo Joes Atomic Lounge | 8:30 PM
Halfway To St. Patrick's Day
Dublin Pub
Want more details on any of these?
Whether you're looking for upcoming festivals, live music, family days out, or weekend markets, our Events Calendar has you covered!
WEATHER WATCH
Genius Unlocked - The Reveal
The Dayton Marathon.
It draws runners from across the country each fall to race through the city's neighborhoods and riverfront parks.
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See you around town,
Rob from Dayton Daily Dose
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