By Jim Knippenberg
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Now it begins: Cincinnati's longest and most cheerful hump day happy hour.

SCHEDULE

Music schedule for parties in the park Today: Cheaper Than Therapy April 28: Echo Park May 5: The Menus (Q102/Bud Party at Sawyer Point) May 12: Catch 22 May 19: Rusty Griswolds May 26: Wishing for Seven June 2: Curley and the Cue Balls June 9: Funky Town June 16: The Chrome June 23: Motion Sick June 30: Patsy's Decline June 30, Newport: Bluebirds July 7: The Mistics July 14: Shilo July 14, Newport: 4-on-the-Floor July 21: Leroy Ellington & the E-Funk Band July 28: Snow Shoe Crabs July 28, Newport: Kelly Red & the Hammerheads Aug. 4: Rusty Griswolds Aug. 11: Higher Ground Aug. 11, Newport: Robin Lacy and DeZydeco Aug. 18: Soul Progression Aug. 25: Forehead Aug. 25, Newport: The Modulators Sept. 1: Funky Town Sept. 8: The Menus Sept. 8, Newport: Leroy Ellington & the E-Funk Band Sept. 22, Newport: Stagger Lee

The outdoor party season - think of them as gigantic al fresco mix 'n' mingles at Yeatman's Cove, Sawyer Point and Newport on the Levee - kicks off today when the Downtown Council opens its 28th year of Party in the Park, this year known as the Party Source Party in the Park.

The season goes into high gear May 5 when WKRQ-FM kicks off its ninth season of Q102/Bud Party at Sawyer Point on alternating Wednesdays.

And it goes into hyper drive June 30 when Newport on the Levee debuts its new Live on the Levee series on alternating Wednesdays. The best news is that all of the events are free.

Founded by the Downtown Council - the rock 'n' roll division of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce - as a way to keep workers downtown and spending money after hours, Party in the Park soon evolved into an early evening must, an extended "see and be seen" event that attracts 5,000 to 8,000 people a week, according to DTC event manager Chris Hooven.

Here's the standard drill: Enter at one end of the park and grab a cold one. Then wander slowly to the other end. Repeat. Then repeat again.

People, you'll meet people

What happens, party fans will tell you, is you'll run into a ton of people you know. You'll get knotted up in bunches - the crowd moves slowly - and meet some new people. You'll stop for another beer and meet somebody at the bar. Then you'll stop to listen to the band and meet still more people.

That's one of the things Tim Rex and wife Jeanette like best about the parties. "We go almost every week and have been forever. It's just a great way to be outside and enjoy a night on the river with a cold beer. Besides, we run into a lot of friends every week and that makes it fun. We'll be going a lot this year again, and taking our 2-year-old."

Sometimes you meet really key people. "I met my husband to be there," says Chris Kennedy. "I was standing with friends and he came up and tapped me on the shoulder ... we talked and kept talking. I was afraid to give him my phone number, but we exchanged e-mail addresses and met there two weeks later. That was the summer of 2000. We married in September of 2001.

"It's just such a nice, nonthreatening way for people to gather. And what a great way to open up your arena of friends."

Parties dish up five hours (5:30-10:30 p.m.) of live music from some of Cincinnati's favorite bands. All have cold beer and food concessions so people skipping dinner and going straight from work won't fall in the river after hoisting a couple. And all feature an anything goes dress code - people show up still wearing business dress, some go home and slip into shorts and T-shirts, others, stopping in before going out to carry on elsewhere, come in party finery.

Party regular Don Mueller of Who Wants to Marry My Dad? almost always goes somewhere else after the party. "I went last year to more of them than any other year, and I'll be back again this year, too. One of the things I like is you can go alone and you always meet new people or run into people you already know.

"Another thing I like is the way everyone disperses and goes to their favorite places afterwards. ... In that respect, it's really good for businesses around the city."

Over in Newport, the new kid on the block is gearing up for its June 30 debut. Newport on the Levee is partnering with Mix 94.1 (WVMX-FM) and the city of Newport to launch Live at the Levee in Festival Park along the river at the base of the Levee.

Like the Cincinnati side, Levee parties will feature live music, beer and a whole bunch of people.

New in Newport

"Whenever a party happens on both sides of the river, like Tall Stacks or Riverfest, the parties blend into one," says Joanne Maly, Levee marketing director. "We're thinking that may happen here, with people crossing the Purple People Bridge from party to party."

One thing that will make the Levee's party different is that Maly is involving Levee tenants in the events. "It's too early to say exactly how, but I can tell you that every tenant has been invited to join in some way. Obviously the bars and restaurants and entertainment venues, but we're also including retail stores."

Unlike the Cincinnati side, the Levee parties will only go until 9:30, but that leaves plenty of time to go to the next stop.

"Sure, I'll try the new ones," Mueller said. "It will probably draw a whole different crowd of people, so they'll be fun. And there'll be plenty of time to go out afterward."

E-mail jknippenberg@enquirer.com