Good morning, Dayton! In today’s edition: Culinary year in review, surging wine trends, mystery dinner theater, and more. Let’s get to it!

— Cait Baker

🏆 Most popular this week

Curated by popular demand — here are this week’s most-clicked events, local spots, and stories.

Culinary year in review: More than 80 restaurants, food trucks and cafes opened across the Dayton region in 2025. Two new spots open this week, including Poppets Coffee & Tea, while Teardrop Steakhouse closed — see the full list.

Midwest roots meet modern tastes: Dayton’s wine scene is surging, with new bars and younger drinkers shaping trends. At Silver Slipper, social sipping rises as Dorothy Lane Market explores affordable tastings using QR codes — see how tastes are changing.

Regional outlook takes shape: After a turbulent 2025 with a 43-day shutdown and shifting tariffs, Dayton economists and business leaders say 2026 could bring clarity, citing Wright-Patterson strengths and caution around AI and manufacturing — read the full story.

Hard cider, close by: TinCap Hard Cider pours crisp house-made picks like TinCap Lite and fruit-forward Blackberry, hosts weekly open mic and trivia, and features live music on weekends. A short drive from Dayton when you’re craving something refreshingly simple and local this week.

Serious burrito cravings: Give Taqueria Mixteca a whirl for fresh burritos, tacos, and quesadillas made with care. It’s the local go-to when chopping onions feels like a personal attack. Reliable, flavorful, and fast, it rescues weeknights without fuss.

Home Show @ Montgomery County Fairgrounds Dayton OH | Saturday (1/10) at 10:00 AM – Plotting a 2026 upgrade, or just tired of that squeaky furnace? The Dayton Home Show brings pros for kitchens, baths, heating and air, additions, landscaping, barns, sunrooms, lawn equipment, ATVs, and more. Real advice, fewer gimmicks, plenty of ideas you can actually use — see the event listing.

Are you overpaying? The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. I was paying over $300 for ONE car until I checked out various quotes, switched providers, and ultimately cut my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably losing money too — this free comparison tool makes it easy.

Gold & silver are hot: Gold just had it’s best year since 1979. Silver did even better, climbing nearly 150% in 2025… and analysts expect the momentum to continue. If you’re curious about adding precious metals to your portfolio as a market hedge, American Hartford has a helpful guide that covers everything you need to know. It’s free — and definitely worth a read.

A new haircare solution: My hair’s been thinning and I’ve been quietly ignoring it, hoping it’ll fix itself. Plot twist… it hasn’t. When I finally started looking into what I should do, there were so many options I didn’t know where to start. I stumbled on Keranique, and its simplicity really sold me. One kit, no pills, no choosing products, and no confusion whatsoever. It’s also on sale with a money-back guarantee (although I doubt you’ll need it).

📆 Sneak peek at next week

Have an event to share? BaseLocal Verified Businesses can submit them for free! Learn more about how to submit an event here →

All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.

🎭 Mystery Dinner Theater @ Spaghetti Warehouse | Monday (1/12) at 6:30 PM – This holiday whodunit pairs a cozy dinner with The Wassail Warblers, semi-committed carolers whose matching scarves hide secrets, clues, and maybe a body. Expect sing-alongs, sly humor, and audience sleuthing. Finally, caroling you can enjoy sitting down.

🔮 Tarot Cafe @ Temple Of Ancient Wisdom | Tuesday (1/13) at 7:00 PM – Tarot Cafe is gathering the town’s card-slingers for a night of study, practice, and mystic show-and-tell. Beginners and old pros swap spreads, trade decks, books, or tools, and sharpen their reading chops. Bring your cards and journal, and snag a spot early, seats are limited.

🍺 January Beer Crawl Book Club! @ Branch & Bone Artisan Ales | Wednesday (1/14) at 6:00 PM – Trade doomscrolling for a beer-crawl book club, and join a roving chat fueled by local pints. We’re talking Dungeon Crawler Carl, Princess Donut, and all the glorious chaos, while getting those Dayton Ale Trail Passport stamps like responsible adults with hobbies.

🎭 Shakespeare Lecture Series @ Dayton Metro Library Branch Libraries | Thursday (1/15) at 6:00 PM – Nothing beats Shakespearean palace drama to make City Hall look wholesome. A witty deep dive into Henry V, Richard II, Macbeth, and King Lear, this lecture unpacks crowns, coups, ambition, and loyalty, and asks the question we never quite settle: what makes a king.

⛸ Rock the Rink Skate @ RiverScape MetroPark | Friday (1/16) at 6:00 PM – Crank up the dad-rock and glide around the RiverScape rink, rock anthems blaring, more air guitar than triple axel. Warm in the heated tent, hit the café for hot cocoa or DORA drinks, plus cheap skate rentals, with discounts for SNAP and Access to Nature.

🛍 Swap ‘Till You Drop Ladies’ Party @ Faith Baptist Church | Friday (1/16) at 6:30 PM – Calling all women of faith, 18 and up. Bring 12 of the same homemade or home-good treasures, leave with a dozen new finds, and feel virtuous for decluttering. Retail therapy with friends, no receipts, just good company. RSVP at includefaith.org/swap.

😂 Comedy Night @ Dana L. Wiley GALLERY | Friday (1/16) at 7:30 PM – Front Street’s gallery is swapping landscapes for laughs as Comedy Night returns, starring Luke Capasso, Dick Dickerson, and G-Money. It’s clever, a little rowdy, and blissfully shorter than a city council meeting. Grab a seat, sip something decent, and let the pros do the talking.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

📣 Own or manage a local business?

Meet BaseLocal Business — a free and easy way to get your business happenings in front of our readers.

How it works:

• Sign up (it takes less than 5 minutes)
• We’ll manually verify your business is legit
• Once verified, you’ll be able to share events, news, and special deals with us any time

Everything you share is reviewed, and approved submissions are automatically considered for future newsletters. AKA… your business has a much higher chance of being featured in front of thousands of Dayton locals who live, shop, eat, and share good things with their friends.

We also regularly spotlight verified businesses just because we think they’re great.

Click here to get started (it’s free) →

📻 Dayton report

Weather forecast

Today – High: 51°F – Low: 25°F – Precip: 74%

Rain likely between 9am and 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 51. South wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Later: A slight chance of rain between 1am and 4am, then a slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. West wind around 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

—

Tomorrow – High: 33°F – Low: 24°F – Precip: 23%

A slight chance of snow before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. West wind 13 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Later: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. West wind 6 to 13 mph.

Most popular house this week

End-unit 2 bed, 2 bath condo with vaulted ceilings, new flooring, and fresh paint, all set around a sleek open layout anchored by a beautiful fireplace. Large windows amplify natural light for an airy, modern feel. Everyday ease comes with first floor laundry, and an attached garage with direct entry keeps comings and goings simple.

Outdoor spaces pull their weight with a welcoming front porch and a private deck ready for quiet mornings or easy entertaining. Thoughtful updates keep maintenance low and style high. Close to dining, shopping, and daily conveniences, with rental allowed for added flexibility.

Take a peek inside →