Hit The Trail

12.08-12.15.10
Hit The Trail

Nice weather, Cleveland? No excuse not to get out and enjoy the season, and we’re making it easy, with hand-picked highlights for the next seven days, plus features on the Ohio Vines & Wine Trail, MOCA’s upcoming move, holiday rock shows touching down, and some news & kids events to keep you nice and warm.

Don’t forget to check our popular ShopLOCAL Holiday Gift Guide to keep your dollars in the region while you think outside the big box. So put on your snowshoes and hit the trail, then warm up with a latte from The Root Cafe or a beverage from your local pub. Chances are, you’ll dig the journey. –Thomas Mulready

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Oh, Tannenbaum, Hitting the Wine Trails!
6 Days. 16 Wineries. One price.

Keep warm and spirited at the wineries along Ohio’s Vines and Wine Trail, the trail east of the Cuyahoga River in the hills and vales of Lake and Ashtabula counties, during Tannenbaum Weekends at the wineries. Many of the wineries have cozy fireplaces and romantic vineyard vistas. You may even catch some weekend entertainment, like the harp duo I enjoyed at St. Joseph Vineyards a few weekends ago. Memories of holidays past are sure to come as you drive past snow-covered barns and find your wheels on dirt instead of pavement.

Here’s the deal: You pay $45 a couple or $35 a single and sample wine and eat appetizers at one of sixteen wineries, ranging from The Barrel Room in Wickliffe to Buccia Vineyards in Conneaut… Read more from Claudia Taller here

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SPONSORED: Always wanted to perform? Affordable, coordinated programs in Music, Theatre and Dance on Saturdays starting Sat 1/22/11 at Tri-C Metro. ArtsPrep offers professional instruction in fundamental techniques of the art, plus rehearsal time to mount a production at the end of the term in May. Registration is open NOW: http://www.TriCPresents.com

The Wind at Our Backs Wind energy in the news: Next American City profiles Cle & Chicago in piece about the nation’s first offshore wind farms. Ohio Dept of Natural Resources releases new interactive map highlighting opps for wind energy on the lake and CWRU installs 156-foot tall wind turbine [pictured], with plans to build three more. Onward & upward.

* Cleveland is a global leader in post-recession economic recovery, according to Brookings Institution, beating most US cities.
* Toys for Tots is accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys through Fri 12/10. Drop ’em off at any Marriott property.
* Cleveland Hazecam generates images of Cle’s skyline every 15 min to track air pollution.
* Local film to premiere at Sundance NEO native & resident Tyler Davidson’s film Take Shelter will have its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Fest.
* 66 Cool Trees for your holidays, at Cleveland Play House’s Festival of Trees.
* Is this the best article on Cleveland sports… ever? Believeland by ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson.
* Evie Lou is new Tremont shop by PD’s Style editor Kim Crow, featuring local & US fashions.

Click here for more News and Biz

Support Independents
For a shopping experience that doesn’t suck

Northeast Ohio abounds with independent shopping opportunities. Look to the cities (and the inner-ring suburbs) and you’ll find an array of locally-owned shops standing their ground in an ever more commercial, increasingly generic world. You won’t have to search hard to find good deals. (And don’t believe that chain stores are the only ones offering bargains.) Watch our video on shopping locally for clothing.

This week, score some handmade goodies at Bazaar Bizarre, an arts & craft show w/ a strong DIY ethos on Sat 12/11 and Sun 12/12. Men: stumped on what to buy? Local Girl Gallery in Lakewood offers a Men’s Last Minute Shopping Spree on Sat 12/11, featuring artists offering jewelry, ornaments, art & advice on buying the perfect gift. Ohio Knitting Mills has opened a PopUp shop [pictured] in Gordon Square and is hosting an opening part on Fri 12/10 from 5 – 9PM, offering food, drinks, frivolity & wintery woolie fun. Then head to the east side for Star Pop’s one year anniversary bash on Sat 12/11 from 6 – 10PM. Holiday treats, contests & the store’s specialty of pop culture collectibles & vintage goods. Who knew shopping could be so fun?

Check out our Holiday Guide for more sales & specials. Are we missing something? Drop us a line at Events@CoolCleveland.com. View the Guide here

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: Give Peace Give the gift of peaceful walks through stunning gardens and rugged hikes through the woods. Membership at The Holden Arboretum provides year-round enjoyment of nature and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Learn more about the benefits of membership at HoldenArb.org. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer.

MOCA Explodes
Iconic Museum Hopes to Transform Cleveland

Jill Snyder says it over and over like a mantra: “We got to “Yes.” The Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and her board have approved their new mind-blowing edifice at the high-profile Triangle plaza at Mayfield & Euclid, anchoring a new mixed-use district of shops, restaurants, bookstore and apartments.

Listen to Jill in this exclusive interview, as she discusses the new MOCA museum building and how it will transform University Circle (and Cleveland), then click over to see the cool animation of the inside & outside of the structure, plus a gallery of images: Watch the video and learn more here.

Holiday Show & Gingerbread Tea @ Chagrin Valley Little Theatre on Sat 12/11 & Sun 12/12. Treats & punch followed by a performance featuring Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty & all your favorite holiday characters. Get tix now.

* Breakfast w/ Santa @ Happy Dog on Sat 12/11. With free pancakes & sausage for the kids.
* Two local authors will sign copies of The Porch Dream and Woof! @ Sunbeam. Free cookies!
* Canton Ballet: The Nutcracker Every kid has to witness this iconic holiday ballet at least once.

Click here for more Cool Cleveland Kids events

SPONSORED: Give an experience they’ll always remember Give the gift of theatre! Tickets to The Cleveland Play House make excellent gifts and the memories you create will live on well after the curtain falls. Pick your favorite show or go with a gift certificate for more flexibility. Call 216-795-7000 or visit ClevelandPlayHouse.com.

All of my favorite venues have some special events and shows lined up for the holiday season. If you are looking for a special music night out over the holidays you have plenty to choose from…

At Nighttown in Cleveland Heights it is their Eighth Annual Home For The Holidays series with shows featuring national jazz artists who are from Cleveland starting with The Lewins on Thu 12/16; The Joe McBride Trio on Fri 12/17; The Musical Theater Project’s “A Christmas Cabaret” featuring Jared Leal, Nancy Maier, Bill Rudman & Sandra Simon on Sun 12/19.

Things will be jumping at the Beachland Ballroom in December also. Amongst the highlights are Bill Kirchen’s Honky Tonk Holiday on Sun 12/12; on Thu 12/23 the Annual Home for the Holidays show featuring music from 8PM until closing in both the Tavern and the Ballroom with the Bears and Harriet the Spy amongst many others; on Christmas Day the Blue Lunch Annual Christmas Nite Latke Party & Matzoh Ball Show with special guests Mississippi Reese & Blues Boy Lonnie to Benefit Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America… Read more from Greg Cielec here

WED 12/8
City Music Cleveland Free classical music concerts throughout the region from Wed 12/8Sun 12/12, featuring performances of Antonio Vivaldi Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade for strings, Op.48, and George Frideric Handel Excerpts from the Messiah. Can’t beat that.

* Tour the Warehouse District & nosh on top-notch fare.

Click here for more events on Wed 12/8

SPONSORED: Wed 12/8 at 10AM, WCLV 104.9 began broadcasting from its new facilities at Idea Center on Playhouse Square. WCLV connection to the Internet sites and e mail will be down until late this afternoon. Also, tomorrow the WCLV phone lines will be down at 2:00 PM until late in the afternoon on Fri 12/10. WCLV’s new address is Idea Center, 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115. http://www.WCLV.com

THU 12/9
A Tuna Christmas @ Weathervane Gerard Neary & Gabriel Riazi portray all of the wacky citizens of Tuna, Texas in A Tuna Christmas @ Weathervane Playhouse. Hear all the citizens’ crazy stories in this two-man play. Perfect if you’re looking for a nontraditional holiday event. Catch the play on Thu 12/9 in Akron.

* Reform Cannot Wait ACLU Freedom Tour highlighting disparities of the criminal justice system.

Click here for more events on Thu 12/9

FRI 12/10
Black Nativity @ Karamu The Nativity story told w/ singing & verse, as written by Karamu’s most famous alumnae, Langston Hughes. Foot-tapping music, glorious singing & dancing galore. This joyous Nativity performance opens on Fri 12/10 at 8PM.

* Holiday Party @ Geode Gallery featuring work from Debbie Apple-Presser & Deborah Woolfork.
* The New Century @ Dobama Provocative, funny & completely outrageous.

* Laughter Unleashed Last Call Cle presents a night of claws-out comedy to benefit homeless animals.

Click here for more events on Fri 12/10

SAT 12/11
Bazaar Bizarre Cle’s insanely popular not-your-granny’s craft fair is back! Ditch mass-produced goods & shop for one-of-a-kind DIY handmade products from 80+ local & regional vendors on Sat 12/11 and Sun 12/12. You’ll find it all: jewelry, clothes, kitchen stuff, baby goods, paper products & much more @ 78th Street Studios. [Pictured: Knitwear from vendor Knitgrrl.]

* Miracle on W. 47th Free festive fun on the Near West Side.
* Write for Rights Letter-writing + conscientious holiday shopping @ Mac’s Backs.
* Brooklyn Centre Holiday Art & Craft Boutique A community comes together to ShopLOCAL.
* A Different Kind of Tea Party Shop for local fine arts & goods in Asia Town while enjoying comp tea & cake.
* Thunderlips & the Submissives @ the Powerhouse Find out the meaning of shortform improv comedy.
* Pie Festival! All types of pies will be at Standing Rock Cultural Arts’ benefit. Buy a slice or the whole thing.
* Woodchoppers Ball 2010 Amazing acoustic guitarists play to benefit the NEO Coalition for the Homeless.
* A Holiday Art Massacre on Waterloo A holiday group art exhibit that’s a bit more Bukowski than Dickens.

Click here for more events on Sat 12/11

SUN 12/12
Redefining hip-hop is no easy feat but local group Uptowne Buddha [pictured] is doing just that w/ its use of guitars, sax & live percussion. Listen up when they perform at 8PM on Sun 12/12 @ the Grog Shop. Also: E Little, CG & Jali.

* Jingle Jazz @ UA A jazzy holiday celebration featuring students from UA School of Music.
* Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market is now indoors (they’d better be!) & happening the 2nd Sun of the month.

Click here for more events on Sun 12/12

MON 12/13
From Burning Rivers to Living Rivers Have a drink & learn about emerging science topics @ Science Cafe Cle. Learn about the importance of healthy rivers at the next Cafe on Mon 12/13 w/ featured speaker Jeff Opperman of The Nature Conservatory. 6:30PM @ Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Click here for more events on Mon 12/13

TUE 12/14
Lyrical Rhythm @ B-Side B-Side Liquor Lounge provides the mic & beats; you provide the poetry & soul at the city’s hottest open mic poetry jam. Check it out on Tue 12/14. Presented by Chief Rocka Entertainment & hosted by Q Nice. [Photo by McKinely Wiley.]

* The Dark Room @ CPT Writers & actors can test new works in front of a supportive audience.

Click here for more events on Tue 12/14

WED 12/15
Chucklefck presents Reddstone’d Comedy Night. Food, booze & funnies on Wed 12/15 w/ Chucklefck cohost Ramon Rivas, young gun Adam Richard [pictured] & Second City alum Quinn Patterson @ Reddstone. Cle’s funniest comics under one roof.

* Sprout Connections Holiday meet-up @ Mercury Lounge. New friends, comp appetizers & punchy punch.

Click here for more events on Wed 12/15

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

With political partisanship at an all-time high in Washington it was naive — to the bordering point of being foolish — to think that by simply changing to another form of county government Republicans and Democrats hereabouts would join hands in some kind of bi-partisan love fest; it’s just not going to happen, and for good reason: Their elementally disparate views of the role of government in our Republic. More on this later.

Fissures in the hoped-for wall of unanimity that was supposed to exist between the Rs and Ds under this new construct are being evidenced right out of the gate as the struggle to elect a president of the new County Council erupted on the front page of the PD. The notion that members of that 11-member body are not going to sometimes have conversations with each other outside of earshot of the public or the press is nonsense. Not for nothing is the process called politics, and politicians of each party have always held caucuses.

But for anyone to think this little dust-up signals the end of such wrangling, think again… it’s just the beginning…
Read this story from Mansfield Frazier here

Read other recent pieces by Mansfield Frazier here

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

Larry Durstin has written the most honest and accurate piece about LeQuit I have read in CLE…
Read the comment from David Eden here

TRAITOR sums up his personality better. Should have seen it coming with his support of the Yankees and Cowboys…
Read the comment from Patrick McGinty here

Screw the national media. they are always going to think Cleveland is a bunch of savages. Give LeBum what he deserves. DO NOT be civil. He certainly wasn’t…
Read the comment from Hank Wait here

This piece is going right into my scrapbook. Loved it…!
Read the comment from Patty Nagel here

Read and comment here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/blog

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

1) ShopLOCAL Holiday Gift Guide

2) Free and Legal Music Downloads With Your Library Card

3) LeBron Deserves A Welcome Fit for a Quitter

4) Mansfield: Zanzibar

5) Artists Fleeing NYC For Cleveland

On the trail of good writing: our scribes Greg Cielec, Kelly Ferjutz, Mansfield Frazier, Laura Kennelly, Claudia Taller & Sarah Valek. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.

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See you around, pardner,

–Thomas Mulready
LettersATCoolCleveland.com

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