Let’s face it; most women never grow out of their love of dressing up, at least once in a while. Even if you’re the kind of gal who prefers blue jeans, a t-shirt, and a ponytail to skirts or even basic dresses, you probably get a thrill out of the feel of silk and the sheen of chiffon, and you might even dream about dressing up for a prom again or reenacting your wedding just to get to wear that dress one more time. Well, if you’re in the Dayton, OH area this June, you can feel like a princess again without having to go back to high school or set up another wedding.

The Dayton Art Institute hosts a charity ball every summer, and it is the black tie event of the year for Dayton. Get your tickets, pick out your dress, and drag your significant other to the tux shop because this is an event that you won’t want to miss.

Every year, the Art Ball starts off with cocktails and appetizers, and then progresses to a lovely sit-down meal catered by only the best caterers in town. After dinner, the atmosphere gets more party-like, with live music and open bars for everyone.

Each year, the committee for the Art Ball chooses the new theme based on one of the major paintings in the museum’s collection. In 2010, the theme is Latin because of the painting Figure Composition by Alfredo Ramos Martinez. One of the best parts about going to the Art Ball is that you get to not only have a fabulous time in a fabulous dress, but also make sure that the museum has money to add more permanent artworks, like the lovely Figure Composition to its collections.

If you’ll be in the Dayton, OH area around September, you would do well to drop by the Dayton Arts Institute for the annual Oktoberfest festivities, which actually take place the last weekend in September. Every year, there is a preview party on Friday night, followed by crowds and crowds of people in and out of the Institute all day on Saturday and Sunday. This is a huge event, including, of course, lots of beer and food, but also some art and other international attractions.

Every year, the Oktoberfest festivities host about thirty different food vendors, who offer international food choices of all sorts. Plus, the whole thing is just saturated with a variety of beers, from local microbrews to popular drafts from big name beer companies. Of course, this isn’t the only reason that you’d want to come to Oktoberfest, but if you like fair style food and a good cold one, that could probably be your biggest pull towards the event.

Also, many local artists and crafters set up booths at the Oktoberfest so that you can buy souvenirs and decorations from them. Dayton has long been a haven for a variety of artists and crafters, so you can get tons of handmade goodies from the festival. There are normally around seventy-five juried vendors with displays at the festival, and since it’s put on by the Art Institute itself, you can be sure that the products are worth your while.

If you’re afraid to bring the kids to Oktoberfest, don’t be! There are lots of activities that the whole family can enjoy, and the museum galleries are open to all visitors on both days of the festival. It’s really an event that you don’t want to miss, and it’s something that Dayton residents look forward to every year.

If you’re planning to visit the Dayton, OH area this summer or if you live in Huber Heights, you may not be thinking about traveling much. However, if you have a chance to take an hour drive over to Wilmington, OH on September 4^th, you should definitely take it. This is when the opening day of the Renaissance Festival for Ohio is happening, and it’s an event that you simply don’t want to miss.

The entire festival is held in a recreation Renaissance-era English village, complete with costumed actors in character for an entire day. There are eleven separate stages where you can enjoy everything from Shakespeare performances to jugglers to traditional minstrels, and you can also spend some time learning about what the Renaissance era was really all about.

Plus, you can enjoy traditional foods at the festival’s booths, and you might even be able to see how some of the foods were made centuries ago. There are games for kids, and competitions for adults, and you can also enjoy rides and other activities for the entire family.

If you like anything antique-like or simply interesting, then you’ll love the Renaissance Festival, as well, since there are over 135 merchants selling period crafts. Some are handmade and some are imitations of jewelry, clothing, decorations, and other items that would have been popular during the Renaissance. All of the merchants are at the festival by design, though, so you can be assured that the products you’ll find there will be both interesting and worth your while.

About 175,000 people are expected to be at the Renaissance Festival’s opening day this year, so plan on getting there early to find parking. Mark September 4^th on your calendar, and, as Shakespeare might say, “Get thee to the festival!”

One of the best ways to plan a great vacation is to choose a time to visit the town of your choice when it is already having some big events going on. In 2010, Dayton, OH is going to have tons of events and happenings that will give the entire family something to look forward to. Come and stay in the quiet suburb of Huber Heights, and then trek into Dayton for one or more of these crazy fairs and festivals of the year.

For music lovers of all sorts, Dayton is the place to be this summer. Several outdoor festivals are taking place, including the Blues, Brews, and Barbecues Blues Festival on June 19^th and the Urban Nights citywide festival on May 14^th. Both of these festivals will feature plenty of food, but they’ll focus on the music of various artists and will be entire community events.

For the foodies who are looking to visit Dayton, there are plenty of options as well. Some festivals to check out might be A World A’Fair in the Convention Center on May 14^th, where there will be food and entertainment from countries from all over the world, or the Dayton Wine Fest, taking place on June 4^th at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.

Let’s not leave the artistic types out, either. Dayton is known for its Art Museum, and it also has some fairs to complement this leaning. The Art on the Commons Fair on August 8^th is a time for local artists and crafters to set up their booths so that you can buy any number of interesting pieces of handmade work. The FilmDayton Festival on May 14^th is another great place for those with artistic leanings to enjoy some art made by others.