Cleveland Roots

04.29-05.06.09
Cleveland Roots

In this week’s issue:
* Rutabaga Nights Julie Hutchison and Mike Gill from LEAF
* Optique Bridget Ginley profiles visual artist Arabella Proffer
* Straight Outta Mansfield Why Can’t We Do This in Cuyahoga County…?
* Ingenious Inside The Soloist: Downey Jr., Foxx, Keener… and Cleveland?
* Preview Dogugaeshi puppetry at FusionFest
* Comment Dr. Roizen and the “True Fountain of Youth”
* Sounds The jazzy stylings of Odd Meters
* RoldoLINK Ari Maron Adds To Med Mart Snafu; Civic Sleaziness Continues
* Cool Cleveland podcast & BFD blog & Facebook & Twitter

We’re not as far from our roots as we sometimes feel. Although the average food travels almost 2000 miles before it lands on your plate, many people are doing something about it. Julie Hutchison & Mike Gill of LEAF are hosting Rutabaga Nights this Saturday to bring together people who want to eat local produce, grow their own and meet others with the same ideas. Fashion Week Cleveland kicks off this week, as does the Cleveland Play House’s FusionFest, both with roots in our community. We review the new Odd Meter EP, and find that the hit movie The Soloist, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx has Cleveland roots: it’s about Nathaniel Ayers, who went to high school here and then to the Cleveland Music School Settlement. We profile area artist Arabella Proffer, and Chris Whipple offers a commentary on Cleveland wellness. Mansfield wonders why we can’t reduce recidivism, and Roldo lists developer subsidies. Around here, we never stray far from our roots. –Thomas Mulready

Julie Hutchison and Mike Gill share a passion for locally grown produce and community supported agriculture (CSA), where you buy a share every week and you pick up a mixed bag of produce from farms in the 75-mile area around Cleveland. You never know what you’ll get, and that’s half the fun, plus the fact that their group, Lakewood Earth & Food Community (LEAF) meets in front of Lakewood Public Library each Wednesday to distribute the shares, along with musicians, vendors and a generally pleasant vibe.

But it doesn’t stop there. Julie, who owns Lakewood Phoenix Coffee Shop, and Mike, who is the arts editor for Cleveland Scene, decided to take it to the next level and bring together this disparate community for an evening of fun, music and sharing, called Rutabaga Nights, on Sat 5/2 from 7PM to midnight, at the Screw Factory Building, across the street from where this video interview was shot, next to one of the community gardens that LEAF has established for residents to grow their own produce. All 120 community garden plots are spoken for, as are all the LEAF shares, with waiting lists for both. Get your tickets for Rutabaga Nights soon. If this keeps up, the party will sell out as well. http://www.LeafCommunity.org

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HOT New Cle State Univ president named Ronald Berkman has some pretty big shoes to fill, taking over for brilliant leader Michael Schwartz. Read
Speaking of Schwartz, CSU: save the date for a supercool tribute/retirement party at PlayhouseSquare in late June. More news on CSU/PSC partnership and CSU expansion plans here, too!
Near West Theatre is totally grassroots Theatre offers human service agency benefits for youth, adults; their Once on this Island starts this week! Details
Pop Shop Gallery doubles its size Art(ificial) event in Lakewood Sat 5/2 is their annex grand opening! Details
Mayhem at Low Life Gallery Celebrate the Day of the Dead with this supercool art exhibition/opening Details
HOT Cle Cavaliers spoof Heineken commercial to great effect and you can watch it all here: Hilarious!!
HOT GREEN 4 lbs of garbage per person, per day?!?! Here are some tips on how to significantly reduce your rubbish output. Click
Get out and MOVE with a cool site called TrailLink
City Buddha is rocking a “Spring Sale” that has the blogroll in Cle-town buzzing something fierce. Deals out the wazoo…
Speaking of Coventry, Big Fun’s Steve Presser has big news on being “Tacky vs. Cheesy” with Melt Bar & Grilled AND on a West Side expansion! Coolness!
BAYarts & 3 Birds Restaurant host Cinco de Mayo celebration Tue 5/5 from 6 – 9PM. Mexican food, tequila sampling, fun. Call 440-871-6544 for tix/info. More about 3 Birds
Esteemed rock critic Kevin Dettmar is the editor the Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan. He speaks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum Wed 4/29 at 7PM. Call 515-8426 or Click here for more

HOT Fashion Week Cleveland gets unclothed and more! If you attended the Cool Cleveland FWC party last year (which included their divine unclothed experience, pictured), you know that Fashion Week Cleveland is one of the coolest things to happen in town. CC is a sponsor again this year; we suggest heading over to unclothed Sat 5/2 and their many other fast-fashion events running thru Sat 5/9. unclothed is a “mixed media runway event” happening at Metropolis from 8 – 11PM. Fashion Week Cleveland.

HOT Igniting Possibilities’ Word Lovers’ Retreat CC contributor’s weekend event helps you get centered and find your inner Muse (again). Maybe you’re trying to restore “creative flow” or just get a break and get away. Idlewyld B&B is the setting; if you’ve never been, you’re gonna love it. Slots are running out for this weekend’s installment of the event. Email Claudia at ctallerwritesATwowway.com for more info. Very highly recommended and affordable.

Marketing is dead Instead, your customers want to be communicated with. Cool Cleveland offers sponsored links to drive traffic to your site, and sponsored videos that you can also post on your own sites, blogs, emails, Facebook and Twitter to go viral. Info@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events, in an easy-to-digest 3 minute audio format, for playback on your computer or iPod.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Podcast in iTunes.

SPONSORED: FusionFest is Here! A celebration of incredible new works in music, dance and theatre, FusionFest is now at the Cleveland Play House running through Sun 5/10. Upcoming productions include “Heaven’s My Destination,” “Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi,” “Dorothy Silver Playwriting Award Winner,” Verb Ballets’ “In the Groove,” the “Minstrel Show or The Lynching of William Brown,” “One-Man Star Wars Trilogy,” “American Music with the Cleveland Orchestra Chamber Players” and “Pecha Kucha.” Buy a Festival Pass and see all FusionFest events for just $99! Visit: www.clevelandplayhouse.com/se-ff.asp.

Nancy Pearl is the rock star of librarians. She’s featured on NPR, she helps out the Cuyahoga County Public Library. There’s even a librarian action figure based on Nancy Pearl, a woman who knew she was going to be a librarian since she was 10 years old.

Essayist, screenwriter and novelist Joan Didion is coming to the Ohio Theatre on Tue 5/12. One of the founders of New Journalism, where the writer puts themselves right in the story, Didion has influenced an entire generation of writers, and won the National Book Award for her book, The Year of Magical Thinking. Watch the video, as Nancy expresses her passion for Didion’s work, and click thru on the site for a podcast and ticket info: www.CuyahogaLibrary.org.

Blast Off! At the Children’s Museum of Cleveland throughout the month of May. Their super-popular interactive exhibit returns, developed in partnership with NASA’s Glenn Research Center. With space as a backdrop, children are encouraged to imagine, play, and explore space in a fun and creative atmosphere. Call 791-7114 or visit http://www.ClevelandChildrensMuseum.org.

Cinderella @ Beck Center The Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood offers up the enchanted fairy tale as a live stage play during various dates in May. Don’t wait until your coach becomes a pumpkin. Score schedule, tix and info at http://www.BeckCenter.org or call 521-2540.

HOT Parade the Circle Participating Workshops Is it really that time again already? Yep, Parade the Circle celebrations and preparations begin at the Cleveland Museum of Art this month. Workshops continue until the Parade (June 13). Have you, your family, school or other community organization always wanted to be part of Parade the Circle? Now is the time! Sign up for a public workshop and help create an actual parade entry! How cool! Workshops are held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday and continue until the parade. Visit http://www.ClevelandArt.org or call 707-2483.

Springtime Surprises The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has got some pretty cool workshops of their own this May, with preschoolers and young school-agers (and accompanying adult) being the target audience. Enjoy an exploration of the outdoors in the springtime, along with hands-on activities, games, arts-and-crafts, a snack and more during this series or workshop programs. Visit http://www.CMNH.org‘ or call 231-4600.

Children’s Fishing Derby It’s a big deal every year. Wallace Lake (Mill Stream Run Reservation) and the Ohio & Erie Canal (Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation) host on Sat 5/2 and Sun 5/3. Fish the Metroparks at no cost! Introduce this sport to your kids; score help from experts and snag live bait, rods and reels. (Kids are encouraged to bring their own tackle and a cooler to store their “catch.”) http://www.CleMetParks.com or call 635-3200.

HOT Stargazing Day From 10AM until 11PM on Sat 5/2 telescopes will be out all day at the NASA Glenn Visitor Center to view sun and stars! Speakers will offer great commentary on the earth, the universe adn the heavens from noon to 8PM; kids activities, including crafts and photos are part of the fun. Call 433-9653 or visit http://www.GRC.NASA.gov.

Meet the Instruments Night The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby has a good one Tue 5/5 at 7PM. If you or your child is interested in learning to play an instrument, this hands-on experience is your chance to find out. No cost, open to the public. http://www.FineArtsAssociation.org or call 440-951-7500.

Michael Bloom just can’t stop smiling. He’s kicking off the fourth edition of his signature FusionFest extravaganza this Wed 4/29 and Bloom says, “This is really the FusionFest I had envisioned. I think it has come of age.”

FusionFest is jam-packed: collaborations with with the Cleveland Museum of Art on Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi, Verb Ballets on In The Groove, Karamu House, Jewish Community Center. Plus, One Man Star Wars, an evening of chamber music by The Cleveland Orchestra, and a Thornton Wilder world premiere, and his first comedy, set in the Depression (how timely!), which Bloom calls “the most relevant play I’ve directed,” in his four years in Cleveland.

Bloom also talks about why the Cleveland Play House is planning to move to the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square ($1.2M annual costs to operate their landmark Philip Johnson facility), and he comments on the 2009/10 economy: “One of the most difficult years in a couple of generations for the arts.” www.ClevelandPlayHouse.org

SPONSORED: PROMapalooza: Passport to Paris Rendezvous with United Way of Greater Cleveland’s young professionals group, GeneratioNEXT at the second annual gala fundraiser PROMapalooza. La soiree of the year, is Sat 5/16 from 8PM to 1AM at the Ritz-Carlton’s Silver Grille. Party goers will enjoy unlimited cocktails, Parisian-inspired hors d’ oeuvres and the musical stylings of hip-hop sensation, Lt. Dan’s New Legs. All proceeds benefit United Way of Greater Cleveland. To purchase tickets, preview the silent auction and hear what “Fifi” the French poodle has to say about the event, visit http://www.uws.org/PROM. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Maureen Purcell at 216-436-2194 or mpurcell@uws.org.

First steps into the Future Hundreds of diverse Clevelanders packed the game room on the 3rd floor of the opulently restored Fenn Tower last Wed 4/22 for Cool Cleveland’s first Future of Cleveland event, hosted by CSU and featuring six of their executives-in-residence. After an hour or so of hors d’oeuvres and drinks, everyone got busy, discussing in small groups topics relevant to Cleveland’s future: innovative education with Dr. Barbara Byrd-Bennett [pictured], former CEO of the CMSD, or entrepreneurship & science with Dr. Julian Earls, who used to head up NASA Glenn, or economic development and community building with Steven Minter, former head of the Cleveland Foundation. By the second round-robin, everyone was hooked. Student interns took notes, and at the end, the executives reported their discussion findings. We’ve posted those findings to the Future of Cleveland blog.

Check out our Future photos here, and add your comments to the Future of Cleveland blog here. Watch the blog for additional photo and video postings, along with public postings. Ready for another round? Let us know: Info@CooCleveland.com

A hot selection of tech and business news & events from around the region. Got business news? Send it to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

GREEN Off the grid in South Russell Architect David Krebs of AODK designs the $500K “totally green” barefoot home Read
Was Bill Gates a brat as a kid? And what does it say about other biz geniuses? Interesting business-meets-kids story here
Biotech’s “Experimental Man” David Ewing Duncan will be in NEO tomorrow for a City Club appearance. Click
CAAO Auction features biz leader connections as prizes and a coupla cool signed LeBron James jerseys. Bid, bid, bid!
GREEN City Club Forum on Green Jobs should draw wide cross-section of biz leaders and the green-minded alike. Learn more here
GREEN CGBTech’s “Green T PC” utilizes advances in green technology The Cle tech firm designed custom built series of green computers that save up to 60% on energy! Features components by Intel and Western Digital! Whoa!”’
Golden Age Centers of Greater Cleveland’s Golden Achievement Awards honor Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic and others. Call 231-6500 ext. 103 for details

Thom Liggett met Micki Tubbs & Michelle Tomallo of FIT Technologies in Palm Springs at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards (they were nominated), and now he’s leading FIT’s business development efforts.

Catch the demo of his cool new 3-D mapping tools that help to simulate client’s business and competitive environment. Watch the video and hear how Thom approaches the client engagement, and how FIT can offer a complimentary IT assessment, leverage efficiencies and lower technology costs. http://www.FITtechnologies.net

HOT How NPOs Can Profit From Digital Strategies is subject of Web Assoc. luncheon at Windows on the River Thu 4/30. Register
HOT CollabTech 09 This showcase demonstrates “the integration of technology into teaching and learning” at CWRU Thu 5/7 from 9AM – 4PM in CWRU Thwing Center. More here
Building Innovative Networks Cle as a Cool, Connected Place and global biotech leader? Learn more Thu 5/7. Analiza, 3615 Superior Ave., Suite 4407B. Call 432-9050 for more info
Manufacturing for the Medical Market: Requirements for Supply Chain Entry on Thu 5/7, co-sponsored by MAGNET and BioEnterprise. Details
HOT Tapping the Power of New Social Media, Social Networks & eMarketing Learn how to maximize your biz impact w/ better outreach Fri 5/8 at 9AM. Click
Don’t miss “Smart Business Live!” feat. Richard Seaman of Seaman Corp. on Thu 5/14 in Akron. here
Calm Effectiveness: How to Motivate Self & Others During Times of Stress & Change hits Fri 5/15 at 9AM Register
Creating Brand Ambassadors within Your Board & Staff This BVU event hits Fri 6/26 at 9AM Learn more

SPONSORED: eco-SMART Manufacturing Program MAGNET, the nonprofit supporting manufacturing in northern Ohio, has developed a comprehensive set of services to help manufacturers meet growing worldwide consumer and regulatory demand for products which respect environmental, conservation, health and safety concerns. For information on MAGNET’s new sustainable manufacturing program, visit http://www.EcoSmartManufacturing.org

Poise, Posture & Profanity: Meet Visual Artist Arabella Proffer

Cool Cleveland recently caught up with painter Arabella Proffer who currently shares in a dual show on exhibit until Sunday, May 17. Proffer’s new portraits of punk rock supermodels, cats and cool chics are a part of the display. Although she hails from a few different regions of the country (Los Angeles and Boston, after growing up in Ann Arbor) Proffer moved to Cleveland, and resides here with her husband and evil cat, Milkshake. She continues to showcase her work both here and elsewhere. Cool Cleveland asked Proffer, “How would you describe your painting style?” and it opened the floodgates to a great conversation…

Read more from Bridget Ginley here

SPONSORED: Ban hate groups from the U.S.? Restrict visits from people with extremist ties? You decide, as you take an insider’s look at 200 years of terror, direct from Washington DC’s popular Spy Museum. The Enemy Within: Terror in America is now open at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Explore the dynamic tension between civil liberties and national security; hear stories of domestic terrorists and foreign agents, militant radicals and saboteurs; see airplane fragments from 9/11; Lucille Ball’s FBI file. Dramatic displays, chilling films, interactive polls. Open daily except Monday, no charge on Saturdays through May. http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org, 216-593-0575.

Robert Kinsey loves being a homeowner. A 24-year-old software developer at Case Western Reserve University, Robert was able to receive $15,000 towards the purchase of his condo from the Greater Circle Living program.

He also took advantage of their training program for first-time home buyers, and now he’s building equity instead of paying rent. He’s close to work, he loves his place, and he just adopted a dog, Coco, now that he has a home of his own. Watch the video and click on www.FairfaxRenaissance.org for details on receiving a forgivable loan from Greater Circle Living.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT FusionFest Here’s one heck of a deal: Cleveland Play House’s multi-discipline arts festival which launches TODAY Wed 4/29 and runs through Sun 5/10 returns with a multidisciplinary arts explosion of coolness. Enjoy it with their new “Festival Pass,” where you choose what you want to see, when you want to see it! Call 795-7000, ext. 4 or visit http://www.ClevelandPlayHouse.com to learn more and plot out your visit(s).

3 Poets Bree and Vladimir Swirynsky both have new books out and will read at Mac’s Backs on Coventry along with Clarissa Jakobsons on Wed 4/29 at 7PM. Call 321-2665 for details. http://www.MacsBacks.com.

The Alchemist Ben Jonson’s play has been getting some due attention; it stands to reason. It’s secret for the audience? “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Cleveland State University’s Dramatic Arts Program launched the play last week at their Factory Theatre; it continues through Sun 5/3 at 2PM. Catch it Thu 4/30Sat 5/2 at 8PM as well. 1833 E. 24th St., between Chester and Payne Ave. http://www.CSUOhio.edu/Theater.

HOT Transforming Cleveland by Building a World-Class Waterfront The Cleveland State University Civic Forum on Thu 4/30 at 5:30PM engages the public in a discussion about the unprecedented opportunity for economic transformation on Cleveland’s lakefront. How could 100 acres of prime lakefront land (currently occupied by the port) be developed? When you come, then you’ll know. CSU Glickman-Miller Hall, 1717 Euclid Ave. Call 523-7330 or visit http://www.Urban.CSUOhio.edu/Forum.

Building Bridges Benefit Support the organization’s Summer Mural Institute at Luxe Kitchen & Lounge this Thu 4/30 at 6PM. Includes Hors d’oeuvres and a Beer Tasting, as well as a cash bar, art raffle and silent auction. 6605 Detroit Ave. RSVP to: kechilcote@aol.com. http://www.LuxeCleveland.com. Learn more here.

Cats On Holiday video shoot Drew Carey’s production company Reason.tv has chosen Cats On Holiday to be the soundtrack to the new “working man/ blue collar” documentary they are filming in Cleveland. Come listen while the band is filmed. You might even make it in the movie. Thu 4/30 6:30-8:30PM Parkview Nite Club. Read letter from COH’s Denis Devito. http://www.ParkviewNiteClub.com

Bang Bang You’re Dead is a short play written in response to violence in our nation’s schools. It has been downloaded over 100K times and performed by hundreds of school, church and community theatre groups. Green High School in Uniontown offers the play Thu 4/30 at 7PM in their high school auditorium. We don’t usually send you so far from home, but this Columbine-shaded stage work is really important — especially as it dawns on the 10th anniversary of those shootings. 1474 Boettler Rd., Uniontown. No cost, open to the public. Email BANTUMSCOTT@greenlocalschools.org or call 330-896-7552 for more.

HOT Technology & Cities The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University presents the first annual Cho Lecture: Technology and Cities: Review and Prospects for the Future on Fri 5/1 from 3 – 5PM with a reception immediately following. This event features Tschangho John Kim, Endowed Professor of Urban and Regional Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the speaker. Should be enlightening. CSU Glickman-Miller Hall, 1717 Euclid Ave. http://www.Urban.CSUOhio.edu/Forum or call 523-7330.

HOT A Taste of Coventry The fundraiser for the Coventry Street Arts Fairs takes place on Fri 5/1 at 7PM at the B-Side Liquor Lounge, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights. This food-and-fun fundraiser helps guarantee a festival atmosphere for Coventry in the summertime, so bring your growling tummy and help out! Tix available now at Big Fun, Mac’s Backs, Clothing Brigade, Fast Eddy’s Chop Shop, Coventry Library and Vidstar Video — all Coventry proprietors! http://www.CoventryVillage.org.http://www.BSideLiquorLounge.com.

FLASH Fashion Fashion retailers, stylists, models, students, journalists, photographers, make-up and hair stylist, and fellow fashion addicts are all invited to this now-monthly happy hour for fashion industry professionals and others Fri 5/1 from 6 – 11PM at Anatomy Ultra Lounge. Mix and mingle with Cle’s fashion pros, while enjoying complimentary cocktails and apps. No cost before 7PM. 1299 W. 6th St. Call 333-0959 or click http://www.AnatomyCleveland.com.

May Members Show Artists Archives of the Western Reserve presents its 11th Members Show from Fri 5/1 through early June. The exhibition features art created by 36 members of the org — all who showcase and sell their work (paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and more). Join the opening reception at 6PM and meet many of the artists as they discuss their works. No cost, open to the public. 1834 E. 123rd St., University Circle. Call 721-9020. http://www.ArtistsArchives.org.

SPONSORED: WCLV 104.9 FM’s 13 week series of two hour broadcasts by Apollo’s Fire, The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, gets a reprise on Saturdays at 1PM beginning this Sat 5/2. These are not your usual “fly-on-the-wall” concert broadcasts. For instance, the May 16th program is an on-the-spot report of the competition for the post of Kapellmeister in Leipzig between Fasch, Telemann, Graupner and an unknown organist by the name of Bach. PBS, the Prussian Broadcasting System, takes you there. Complete details on WCLV’s programming at http://www.WCLV.com.

HOT Art & Cocktails combines two of life’s great joys (wonderful art, tasty cocktails) Sat 5/2 starting at 8PM [pictured] with the opportunity to donate to Tremont West Development Corporation’s community organizing programs. Open bar, beer and wine; appetizers and desserts from Tremont’s restaurants and chefs, silent auction and 50/50 raffle (for a full bar’s worth of liquor!) help you get arty. Asterisk Gallery, 2393 Professor Ave., Tremont. Call 575-0920. http://www.AsteriskGallery.com. http://www.TremontWestDevelopment.com.

HOT Rutabaga Nights Lakewood Earth & Food (LEAF) Community and City Fresh are hosting their first-ever fundraiser on Sat 5/2 from 7PM – midnight at the Screw Factory Building, 13000 Athens Ave., Lakewood. Soak up the nosh provided by 56 West, Gypsy Beans, India Garden, Lakewood Phoenix Cafe, La Pita Express and Lolita as you enjoy the bands Outside Jakes, Mobius, Good Things, Green Escalators and Hobo Monk. Whoa! http://www.LEAFCommunity.org.

Gray’s Auctioneers 20th Fine Art, Antique and Decorations Auction drops this Sat 5/2 at 1PM featuring fine art, antiques and decorative pieces. Six works by Russian painter David Burliuk — considered the “father of Russian futurism” — are offered, along with a painting by Giovanni Batista Pittoni. Over 400 lots are scheduled for auction, representing a “deeply diverse” collection of items. http://www.GraysAuctioneers.com.

HELP Spring Beautification Join friends & neighbors of MidTown Cleveland for a spring clean-up on Sat 5/2at their annual “Spring Beautification Day.” Last year, over 100 volunteers helped them get the neighborhood ready for spring. Register as an individual or as a team online at http://www.MidTownCleveland.org or call Diane Dunleavy at 391-5080 ext. 101 for a registration form. Registration begins at 8:45AM with coffee & donuts.

University Circle Home Tour Join University Circle, Inc. and Judson at University Circle for this experience of diverse homes and lifestyles Sun 5/3 from 1 – 5PM. Enjoy a self-guided tour of 11 homes and other points of interest [pictured]. Advance tickets here. There’s ALSO a special “sneak preview event the night before (Sat 5/2) and those details are here.

HOT Ovation 2009 Baldwin-Wallace’s campus-wide celebration of student creativity, research and artistic achievement from all seven of their academic divisions is held on Sat 5/2 from noon – 3:30PM, followed by an awards program at the Kleist Center for Art & Drama on campus. Experience projects on wetlands ecology, “Fearless Shakespeare,” and the interpersonal implications of text messaging, among 150 others. Only the 2nd time in history they’ve pulled everything together in one event. http://www.BW.edu/News/Ovation.

Activemuse.org’s 5th annual Peace & Music Fest takes place on Mon 5/4 in their 3rd year at the Historic Kent Stage (175 E. Main St., Kent. This year’s line-up features something for everyone — from “reggae Ironman” Carlos Jones to folkster David Ullman. What is it, exactly? They call it “a yearly free concert dedicated to peace and social justice” and we can’t argue. Call 330-677-5005 for more info or check out http://www.MySpace.com/ActiveMuse.

Apparition of the Eternal Church The Oberlin Conservatory of Music concludes its centenary celebration of French composer Olivier Messiaen on Tue 5/5 at 8PM with the Ohio premiere of this documentary by Paul Festa — one based on Messiaen’s organ work of the same name. The screening of this acclaimed film is paired with a live performance of Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen by Oberlin piano faculty members. http://www.Oberlin.edu/Con.

Runway of Hope The 23rd Annual American Cancer Society Northern Ohio region luncheon, fashion show, silent auction and boutique kicks off Wed 5/6 at 10AM at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven. Fashions provided by Peneventures; hair and makeup by Pamplemousse. For more info, email Carol Anthony at carol.anthony@cancer.org or call 888.227.6446, ext. 1209. 6111 Landerhaven Dr. http://www.ExecutiveCaterers.com. http://www.Cancer.org.

HOT Showcase 09 Cuyahoga Community College’s Metro Campus (2900 Community College Ave.) presents this multimedia celebration of the arts on Wed 5/6 starting at 7:30PM at the campus’ Mainstage Theatre. This no cost, open to the public event features an artistic collaboration of student performers. Dance, recording arts technology, theater, visual arts and an exhibit of ceramics and sculptures rule the day. Reception features food, music (performed by Tri-C Metro jazz studies students) and more starting at 6:30PM. Learn more here.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Why can’t we do this in Cuyahoga County?

Back in 2006, I went to a reentry seminar hosted by Professor Charles Ogletree at Harvard University. The three days had a profound impact on me and I draw on the experience often as I go about my work of trying to assist those returning home from incarceration. I know that some of my readers feel that I’m involved in this kind of work because of an affinity for the population, since I myself was formerly incarcerated (five times over a 29-year career as a credit card counterfeiter; I speak so openly about it that some even accuse me of being proud of that part of my past — I’m not…

Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

Inside ‘The Soloist’: Downey Jr., Foxx, Keener… and Cleveland?

Rave reviews surround the new film The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener and Robert Downey, Jr. The movie was just released nationwide last Friday, April 24, but this is a Cleveland story. Starting right here on the north coast, the audience follows a young boy, Nathaniel Ayers — an African American musical child prodigy on his journey to the Julliard School of Music and beyond. His crossing with Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez in 2005 is the basis for the film…

Read more from Susan Schaul here

Finding the True Fountain of Youth
Cle Clinic Dr. Roizen’s Books, Exercise, Self-Awareness Can Help with Wellness

Recent studies have proven there is a way to stay young, healthy and smart but it’s not easy and actually becomes harder as we age. Everyone wants to drink from the fountain of youth, but few will climb the mountain to achieve it. What might be surprising to many, it is the “climbing of the mountain,” that is the true fountain of youth. In other words, it is exercise that is the fountain of youth. Newer studies have shown aerobic activity (particularly running), will help individuals grow new brain cells… Our brain consumes more blood than any other organ. Many of the more seasoned individuals will remember the saying to “get your creative juices flowing” which meant to move around
Read more from Chris Whipple here

FusionFest Turns Spotlight on Puppeteer Basil Twist Through Collaboration
Experience the Magic This Weekend

A four-night run of Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi is Cleveland Museum of Art’s Viva! & Gala Around Town contribution to FusionFest running at the Cleveland Play House. Cool Cleveland was recently spoke with CMA’s assistant director of creative services, Greg Donley, in an effort to describe this unique show and characterize its appeal…

Read more from Victor Lucas and Elsa Johnson here

Odd Meters EP
Odd Meters
Odd Meters

Cleveland expat Jon Morrow won the 1999 High School Rock-Off before leaving the area to attend college in North Carolina. He’s been playing around the east coast with The Galen Kipar Project until recently — when he settled into a jazz-blender duo, in the spirit of Medeski Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell and Tortoise, called Odd Meters. Their eponymous debut EP features a handful of original, oddly-timed, jazz-funk compositions…

Read more from Peter Chakerian here

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Med Mart Mess Continues Our Civic Sleaziness

A friend wrote me to say she had one drink at an E. 4th new street restaurant. The bill: $13. She questioned it. The server proclaimed, “This is DOWNTOWN.” Downtown? Downtown Manhattan, you mean? I bring this up only because E. 4th Street’s development rests upon oodles and oodles of tax subsidies. And now one of its principals, Ari Maron, has inserted his mouth into the Medical Mart situation…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

Quick reviews of recent events
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Tremont ArtWalk @ Various Locations 4/10
Read more from Carol Drummond here

The Odd Couple @ Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory 4/16
Read more from Roy Berko here

Bach Festival @ Baldwin-Wallace College 4/17-19
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

Verb Ballets @ Cleveland Public Theatre 4/18
Read more from Victor Lucas & Elsa Johnson here

Dancing Wheels @ Cleveland Public Theatre 4/19
Read more from Victor Lucas & Elsa Johnson here

The 8th Annual Cleveland School of the Arts New Play, Film, and Poetry Festival @ Cleveland Play House and Karamu House 4/22-4/29
Read more from Susan Schaul here

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 4/23
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Inlet Dance @ Cleveland Public Theatre 4/24
Read more from Roy Berko here

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 4/25
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

[title of show] @ Baldwin-Wallace College and PlayhouseSquare 4/26
Read more from Roy Berko here

Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Artists vs. Blight Collinwood is a “pioneering artist community,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
online.WSJ.com.com

2) Med Mart: Remind me why we need it Roldo Bartimole also comments on Jeff Jacobs & Jeff Johnson.
CoolCleveland.com

3) The Greenhouse Tavern opens with a working greenhouse on the roof on East 4th Street. 3rd week Top 5!
TheGreenhouseTavern.com

4) Legendary broadcaster Joe Tait profiled by Peter Chakerian.
CoolCleveland.com

5) Morgan Conservatory is a fascinating, cool place.
CoolCleveland.com.

Organic, Rootsy It’s all about our Hard Corps. Without them (and YOU!) Cool Cleveland wouldn’t be what it is today. Kudos to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Mansfield B. Frazier, Claudia J. Taller, Roy Berko, Kelly Ferjutz, Susan Schaul, Bridget Ginley, Carol Drummond, Laura Kennelly, Victor Lucas and Elsa Johnson, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Roldo Bartimole and all of our wonderful partners! Want to volunteer? Contribute your writing? Get involved? Send your reviews, articles and/or correspondence! Events@CoolCleveland.com.

Homegrown and down-home,
–Thomas Mulready
LettersATCoolCleveland.com
Cool Networks LLC / 14837 Detroit #105 / Cleveland, OH 44107

All contents (c)2009 Cool Networks LLC all rights reserved

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