What better weekend for the opening of an exhibit called Fly Your Own Freak Flag? Northside's Thunder-Sky, Inc. will display 60 flags created by funky artists from across the city, country and world, beginning with a reception from 6-10 p.m. Friday. The exhibit runs through Aug. 11 and some flags will be featured in Wednesday's Northside Fourth of July Parade.

The Contemporary Arts Center hosts an interactive film screening and dance party Saturday at 9 p.m. Set to the music from Girl Talk's All Day album, Girl Walk / / All Day is a long-form music video follows three dancers in New York City. After you watch the pros turn the urban landscape into their own stage, bust out your own moves at a DJ dance party. Arrive early for a pre-screening dance class at 8 p.m., where choreographer Heather Britt will teach the routines seen in Girl Walk. Doors open at 7:30. Free for members, all others pay CAC admission.

In September 2011, ArtWorks was awarded funds from ArtPlace, an organization of foundations, federal agencies and banks that invests in art and culture programs across the country. ArtWorks put these funds toward SpringBoard, their business planning and development program for artists, artisans and creative entrepreneurs. ArtWorks celebrates SpringBoard artist-entrepreneurs, a new space and local creativity tonight with an open house 6-8 p.m. Check out the new digs at 20 East Central Pkwy.

Across the river, the Friends of Baker Hunt celebrate the Covington Art and Cultural Center’s 90^th anniversary at their annual gathering tonight. Members of this auxiliary organization and anyone who has special memories about the center or wants to get involved is welcome to attend a 6 p.m. meeting followed by a potluck dinner with music by the Cincinnati Chamber String Quartet. Bring a dish to share and be sure to RSVP to info@bakerhunt.com or call 859-431-0020. The Baker Hunt Art and Cultural Center offers classes in language, yoga, dance, photography and more for kids and adults.

Ready to get in Pride mode? After you check out our Pride Issue (complete with a LGBTQ year in review timeline, stories and official Pride 2012 guide), mosey downtown to Shooters’s Young Buck night beginning at 10 p.m. Thursdays mean nothing but dance music at this no-frills watering hole, so saddle up for a fun night. David DeWitt will have a special Technicolor projection Pride photo booth — strike a pose!

It may be hot outside, but Live After Five at The Banks has icy beverages and cool music to keep you lifted after work tonight. Freedom Way downtown turns into a free street festival every-other Thursday from 5-8 p.m. Tonight, the Pinstripes perform. Nearby, Son del Caribe takes over Fountain Square for Thursday’s free Salsa night from 7-10 p.m. Professional dancers are on-hand each week to help you with your moves. Afterwards, grab dinner or keep drinking at one of many surrounding bars and restaurants to keep the party going.

As part of that initiative, the city of Cincinnati on Tuesday announced an agreement signed by Cincinnati city manager Milton Dohoney Jr. as well as city managers of Newport and Covington, Ky., agreeing to allow licensed taxicabs to freely commute and transport passengers across city lines from July 1-15. This differs from normal taxi law, in which a Covington driver who picked up passengers in Covington and transported them to Cincinnati, for example, would be barred from picking up another group of passengers within Cincinnati limits, instead required to go back to Covington to seek business. 

Licensed taxi drivers who wish to take part of the integrated system are required to attend a "Hospitality Session" hosted by the City of Cincinnati, which will offer recommendations for interacting with international visitors and offer drivers World Choir Games schedule information. With completion of the session, drivers will earn a purple World Choir Games placard for their car, signifying their ability to commute across the river. 

In May, City Council voted to approve a number of changes to the Cincinnati taxi system, to be implemented over a series of three stages, beginning July 1 to coincide with the influx of the World Choir Games. Changes included increased fares, an expanded arsenal of taxi stands and improved signage.

Mayerson JCC’s Summer Cinema Series continues tonight with two episodes from the Israeli comedy television series Arab Labor (Avoda Aravit). Referred to as the Palestinian Seinfeld, the series follows Arab-Israeli journalist Amjad, a hapless but good-hearted man who neurotically tries to conform with both Arab and Jewish expectations and his one-of-a-kind family. Screenings are from 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 ($8 for JCC members).

Joseph M. Schuster will discuss and sign his debut novel, The Might Have Been at 7 p.m. at Joseph-Beth Cincinnati. From St. Louis, Mo. Schuster presents a novel about the consequences of chasing an unattainable dream, regret and redemption.

And don’t forget free weekly events: Party in the Park features music from 3 Day Rule 5-10 p.m. and happy hour specials ‘til 6:30; Clifton Cultural Arts Center presents Wednesdays on the Green with Tracy Walker, kids activities, on-site food vendors and more beginning at 7 p.m.; Reggae Wednesday brings jammin’ to Fountain Square, 7-10 p.m. Tonight’s band is Lucky 7.

Don't let the impending heat hold you back from a fun weeknight!

While we’re on the topic of cabarets, on the other side of the river is Musical Theatre Night at the Thompson House. This inaugural weekly event is like karaoke, but with a live pianist and tunes from your favorite movies and musicals. Bring your own sheet music or pick a hit from their provided selections. Come around 7:30 p.m. to sign up. The night runs through 11 p.m. Flex those jazz hands and go here for more info.

The JCC Summer Film Series kicks off tonight at Montgomery’s Mayerson JCC. Based on the popularity of the organization’s Jewish and Israeli Film Festival last winter, the center will again screen excellent movies rarely shown in Cincinnati, through Thursday. Tonight’s film is Melting Away (Namess Ba'geshem), the first Israeli feature film that deals with the topic of parents and their relationships with transgendered children. The movie begins at 7 p.m. Check out the full lineup here.

If that’s not enough to make you stop whining about Mondays, here are 20 Soul-Crushing Summer Jobs from Pop Culture. Remember, things could always be worse.

There’s always money in the banana stand!

Meanwhile, in Sweden, a different citizen has been manning the country’s official Twitter account each week for the past few months. If you peep @sweden, you’ll find this week’s guest tweeter is a boring football player who pretty much uses Twitter as instant messenger, but it could be worse. Like when this chick took over.

A 27-year-old single mom named Sonja Abrahamsson got the account lots of publicity recently with her politically incorrect “humor,” odd photos and comments about her kids. Mashable highlights her prime tweets, the best of which being this video (which she posted without comment).

Apparently people can’t get enough of Shia LeBeouf naked, I mean Sigur Rós’ new video.

Another day, another video of a young Ryan Gosling bustin’ sweet moves. (Late-in-the-game side note: Crazy, Stupid, Love., featuring a really well-groomed Gosling, is actually really good.) From feminist blogs to news stories about his dreamy ways, the Internet loves some Ryan Gosling. Of all the options, my favorite is this clip from Mickey Mouse Club (co-starring Justin Timberlake and *NSYNC’s JC Chasez) featuring a young, baggy-panted RG making pre-teen hearts melt on stage. Shit gets real at 1:43.

Waiting for Game of Thrones to return is tough, but thankfully the makers of the HBO hit are keeping the show in the news: In a very intense scene of the first season, the camera cuts to a row of dudes’ heads on stakes. Turns out one of ‘em was Dubya’s. They’re sorry.

Travel + Leisure named OTR’s Neons Unplugged as one of America’s 30 Best Outdoor Bars!

Summer in Cincinnati means food-filled cultural festivals almost every week. Next up: Panegyri Greek Festival in Finneytown! St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church’s annual celebration features delicious, authentic food, Greek dancing lessons, cooking demos, shopping and more. Taste your way through Greece with spanakopita, gyros, salads, baklava and the best Greek gift to Cincinnati of them all: Skyline Chili. Admission is $2 and the festival is open Friday-Sunday. Go here for directions. Opa!

Northside Art in the Park fills Jacob Hoffner Park with fine art, gifts and crafty goods from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. This is the ever-eclectic Northside we’re talking about, so don’t expect your grandma’s art sale here. More than 50 vendors will be hawking funky handmade jewelry, quirky ceramics and incredible art for your home. Stop by the Taco Azul food truck, on-site for lunch or dinner and bring the kids for fun activities, a hoola hoop workshop, face-painting and more.

You may not know civil engineer John Augustus Roebling, but if you’ve ever crossed the suspension bridge, you’re definitely familiar with his work. Roebling went down in history for designing wire rope suspension bridges like the one that connects Cincy to northern Kentucky and some little New York bridge. Celebrate the famous bridge designer, local architecture and all the Queen City has to offer Saturday at RoeblingFest. From 11 a.m.-11 p.m. the bridge will host a giant bash with food and drink vendors, live music and performers, raffles, exhibits and more. Learn about local architecture and public art with guided historic tours and on-site museum exhibits throughout the day. The event ends with fireworks on the river.

You don’t need to go to a sketchy Brooklyn neighborhood for a killer warehouse party — at least not this weekend. Local arts organization parProjects (which introduced many to the new American Can Lofts space with 2011’s Factory Square Fine Arts Festival) presents Symphonic Stylings at The Electric Warehouse Saturday. The new creative space (located in Northside’s Bertke Electric Buildings) will come alive with interactive art installations, fashion and music. Washington D.C.'s ARTAYA and local shops NVISION and Sloane Boutique will present a fabulous fashion show set to the tunes of concert:nova and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The warehouse will also feature work by artists Susan Byrnes, Rob Wolpert and Billy Colbert along with plenty of libations. Support parProjects with and get down beginning at 8 p.m. VIP tickets grant early admission, a drink and dinner by the bite. Stick around after the show or come late for a dance party 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. with DJ Pillo.

Slow Food Cincinnati is a local chapter of a global grassroots movement seeking to promote good, clean and fair food in the area. If you support the idea of eating food that is delicious and nutritious, beneficial to the environment and good for the people who grow and produce it, join the group for a Slow Food Dinner at Local 127 Sunday. The downtown restaurant’s Chef and Master Sommelier, Steven Geddes, will prepare a sustainable, locally-sourced meal with wine optional pairings to be served at 6 p.m. Come early to watch him butcher a whole hog at 1 p.m. It’s not as odd as it may sound — it’s good to know where our food comes from! Reserve your spot by calling Local 127 at 513-721-1345.

Tonight, we celebrate the premiere of Her from 5:30-9 p.m. at edgy homegoods haven, HighStreet. Pick up the inaugural issue (the Food Issue) as the Cincinnati Rollergirls lead you to the event space above the store. Enjoy complimentary frozen cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and treats from local spots like Silver Ladle, Taste of Belgium and Bonbonerie. The first 30 guests will receive swag bags, so don’t be too fashionably late. If you haven’t reserved your spot yet, RSVP here.

Comedian Jo Koy performs tonight at Funny Bone on the Levee. Koy (birth name: Joseph Glenn Herbert. Kinda funny) is recognized from VH1’s I Love The… series and is currently a regular panel guest on Chelsea Lately. He is one of the few comedians to receive a standing ovation on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He performs through Saturday. Tonight’s show is $25 and begins at 8 p.m.

Joseph-Beth Cincinnati and OCD-Midwest welcome author Fletcher Wortmann tonight at 7 p.m. Wortmann will discuss and sign his latest memoir, Triggered. The intense book gives a first-hand account of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, “with a kaleidoscope of culture high and low ranging from his obsessions with David Bowie, X-Men and Pokemon to an eclectic education shaped by Shakespeare, Kierkegaard, Catholic mysticism and Christian comic books.” Wortmann also details his time at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts.

Paddlefest kicks off today with the Kids Outdoor Adventure Expo at Coney Island. Activities abound will teach children about water safety, life and jobs on the Ohio River, weather and environmentalism and much more, all while exploring and having fun. Kids will have the opportunity to tour the newest AEP River Operations working tow boat, the Buckeye, visit a petting zoo, ride in the first-ever Kids Expo bike rodeo (then learn how to repair a bicycle), bait a hook and catch a fish and much more. Events run until 4:30 p.m., and it’s all free. Paddlefest continues through Saturday, culminating with the paddle race and rides.

Tonight and every Wednesday this summer:

Northside's Farmers Market is more than a weekly stop for all your fresh, local produce needs. Sure, you'll find blueberries, onions, pickles, beans garlic and more homegrown goodies, but there's also live music, baked goods and activities for kids. Stop by Jacob Hoffner Park each Wednesday between 4 and 7 p.m. to get tasty ingredients and dishes and enjoy the summer weather. Tonight Azucar Tumbao performs and Happen Inc. provides a fun project for kids.

Outdoor happy hour spot of choice, Party in the Park takes over Yeatman’s Cove tonight. Enjoy vendors, live music, snacks and booze, all by the river. Happy hour prices run from 5-6:30 p.m., but the party continues ‘til 10. This week, The Rusty Griswolds perform. The popular local cover band pays tribute to the oft-replaced character from National Lampoon’s vacation movies.

Let your dreads down each week for Fountain Square’s Reggae Wednesday. This week Flex Crew will jam on the square as guests chill out by Tyler Davidson Fountain. Free music from 7-10 p.m.

As the sun starts to set and the heat subsides, Clifton Cultural Arts Center comes alive with Wednesdays on the Green. Bring a blanket, chairs and a picnic dinner to enjoy on Clifton Elementary School and CCAC’s lush lawn each week beginning at 7 p.m. Different bands and performers provide entertainment every Wednesday; tonight the CCAC welcomes Faux Frenchmen. Streetpops and Habanero will also be on hand for all your munchin’ needs.

Not bad for a weeknight!

Check out our Hot Issue calendar for more stuff to get you off your couch, every day.

There's free action on Fountain Square every day this summer. Tuesdays are American Roots night, with plenty of live Americana/Folk/Bluegrass music kicking off at 7 p.m. each week. Tonight's lineup includes Magnolia Mountain and Wild Carrot & the Roots Band. Find a full lineup for American Roots Tuesdays and more Fountain Square events here.

Knowing how to cook seasonally goes hand-in-hand with eating local and growing your own produce. Tonight, the Civic Garden Center hosts a family-friendly cooking program that will instruct you on how to do just that. Learn what fruits and veggies are in season now and how to incorporate them into new recipes. Children are welcome! The class begins at 6 p.m. and is $15 (free for CGC volunteers).

MOTR Pub's Writer's Night continues each Tuesday, offering local songwriters, musicians, poets and wordsmiths a chance to share their work and win cash. Fists of Love's Donna J. hosts tonight. Sign ups begin at 8:30 so come early, bring original material and chow down on some tasty mac and cheese or a vegan BLT (MOTR's kitchen is open 'til 9:30 p.m.).

Drinking Liberally meets at Fries Cafe in Clifton for its final Tuesday gathering. After a two-week holiday break, DL will continue to meet up on second and fourth Thursdays, alternating locations at Fries and Dutch's. Tonight, the Phackt Chequers host a trivia night and the group will order pizza from Adriatico's. Arrive by 7:45 p.m. to get in on a food order. Go here to learn more about Drinking Liberally, an informal group under the Living Liberally umbrella.

Feeling stressed? New Thought Unity Center in East Walnut Hills presents a sound healing circle tonight. Meditate while singing and chanting to recordings of Gregorian, Hindu and Native American music from 7-8:30 p.m.