04.29-05.06.2026 Unfold

 

 

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Unfold

04.29-05.06.26

Right before our eyes, we rotate closer to the sun and our destiny. CSU celebrates the nation’s 250th, KSU School of Fashion puts on a show, and School of the Arts displays student photos. There’s plenty of music, with world-class piano at Oberlin, a new release by Jack & the Optimists, a gypsy concert with food, swing dancing with Radio Rhythm IDOLs, and classical quartet Opus 216 jamming out on the stage at Visible Voice Books. Don’t miss the eclectic musical play and art show that explore the legacy of abolitionist John Brown. You can learn the science behind fireflies, find out how much Ohioans value their libraries, get working on your float for Parade The Circle, and help clean up along the Cuyahoga watershed.

Keep your eye on events unfolding before us. Make a plan to vote in the May 5 primaries even if you usually wait until the general election. Our Secretary of State and GOP candidate running for the office are keen to suppress your vote and purge voters from the rolls. Show up and use your voice. Get ready for the first major project examining and celebrating our region’s seminal role in The Birth of Punk, rivaling the scenes in NYC & London. We’re presenting shows in May at the Civic Theatre in Akron and the Music Box in Cleveland. Be there to see how things take shape. 

-Thomas Mulready

CoolCleveland.com 

Photo by Thomas Mulready

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 THE BIRTH OF PUNK
COMING IN MAY 

Was it something in the air from the putrid tire plants and steel factories? In the water that had recently caught fire? Maybe it was the murder of 4 students at Kent State a few years prior? Certainly it was something that created a groundswell of musicians in the 1970s in our region who were fed up with the world and needed to make a change: DEVO, The Waitresses, Rocket from the Tombs, Pere Ubu, Dead Boys, Unit 5, Chrissie Hynde, Bizarros, Rubber City Rebels, Mirrors, Tin Huey, The Pagans, The Cramps, the list goes on.

The Birth of Punk in NEO explores this groundbreaking movement and honors these pioneers with interviews, presentations and an evening of live music from some of the most vital bands in the region: Patty No!, Massive Hot Dog Recall, The Robert Conn Band, Vanity Crash/Queue Up, the Mirrors, and the original Bizarros. Catch the show at the Music Box Supper Club on May 13 and the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre on May 23, and maybe get the answer to some of these questions yourself.

Stiv Bators of Dead Boys by Anastasia Pantsios

FEATURE

 

 IT’S IMPORTANT VOTE ON MAY 5 

We’re aware that there are few competitive races in the upcoming May 5 primaries, either on the Democratic or Republican side. The biggest races—for governor and senator—on both sides feature one candidate overwhelmingly likely to win the opportunity to be on the November ballot. 

But there’s a good reason to take a few minutes to vote this Tuesday (polling place lines should be short to nonexistent). Get in the habit! Ohio’s current Secretary of State Frank LaRose has been eager purge voters from the rolls based solely on how recently they’ve voted. The GOP candidate to replace him has promised to be even worse on voter suppression. Don’t find yourself shut out because you skipped an election!

 

NEWS

 

 PARADE THE CIRCLE WORKSHOPS START 

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s community-oriented Parade the Circle happens on Saturday June 13, but workshops for participating groups and artists to create their costumes and props start this week. This year for the first time, they take place at CMA’s Community Arts Center at the Pivot Center on the near west side. 

 SURVEY SHOWS THAT OHIOANS VALUE LIBRARIES 

A recent statewide study shared by the high-ranked Cuyahoga County Public Libraries shows that Ohioans really value their public libraries. A whooping 92% said they think public libraries are important to their communities and 69% can cite a time when the library helped them personally. 

WEDNESDAY
4/29

 

How does someone unearth material about the local music scene, information that’s often lost to public view? Three writers will talk at Visible Voice Books about how to find and preserve this history in a panel moderated by Beachland co-owner Cindy Barber. 

 MORE on WEDNESDAY… 

 

THURSDAY
4/30

 

Quilting has historically been considered a craft rather than an art form but that’s changed as awareness has grown about how quilting can be used to make aesthetic, historical and social statements. Quilting the Commons, opening at the Yards Project tonight, shows how quilting has expanded.

 MORE on THURSDAY… 

 

FRIDAY
5/1

 

The Cleveland Music of Art’s wildly popular MIX parties pack the Atrium and offer a chance to see the galleries afterhours. This month’s theme is dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in fashion, dance, music and food.

 MORE on FRIDAY… 

 

SATURDAY
5/2

 

Trash is the bane of the landscape. Since 1990, the one-day RiverSweep has focused on removing litter from the Cuyahoga River Corridor, keeping it from polluting the river. In that time, they’ve removed 25,248 tires—but don’t worry: there are plenty more for you to pick up!

 MORE on SATURDAY… 

SUNDAY
5/3

 

Blue Water Chamber Orchestra’s final concerts of the year are called “Rustic Reverie.” The program includes three pieces based on reflections on the landscape and folk music. It features rising opera star, soprano Midori Marsh, a Cleveland Heights native.

 MORE on SUNDAY… 

MONDAY
5/4

 

It’s May now, which means it’s time again for the weekly Monday Slow Roll Cleveland rides, which take riders of all ages, abilities and experience levels on a leisurely ten-mile ride through a different Cleveland neighborhood each week. To kick things off, they’re in Ohio City.

 MORE on MONDAY… 

 

TUESDAY
5/5

 

The Take a Hike Cleveland tours start this week with their Tuesday/Thursday spring series “Behind Closed Doors.” The focus is on downtown office and retail buildings now repurposed for residential use. Yes, you’ll get to go into building such as the former Halle’s Department Store.

 MORE on TUESDAY… 

WEDNESDAY
5/6

 

There’s nothing more enchanting in the summer than sitting on your porch or lawn or a nearby open field at dusk, watching fireflies flicker. Tonight a program at CVNP’s Happy Days Lodge will share some of the science behind those tiny lights.

 MORE on WEDNESDAY… 

POINT OF ORDER

 

 C. ELLEN CONNALLY 

 ARSENIO: A MEMOIR 

When I was in law school, I worked as a law clerk for Attorney Carl J. Character. One of the secretaries was a woman by the name of Annie Hall. I remember her as a very funny and jovial person. She frequently talked about her teenage son, Arsenio, and told us that he was a magician. When Arsenio Hall became a late-night talk show phenomenon, I knew immediately that it was the same Arsenio.

In his recently published Arsenio – A Memoir, Hall tells the story of growing up in Cleveland. When his mom was working,he spent time with his maternal grandmother. In an event that changed his life, one day a cousin brought home a book from the library on magic tricks, and the pre-teen Arsenio was hooked.

 But when a fire at his grandmother’s house destroyed all his magic tricks, his decision to switch to comedy was clinched.

BACKTALK

 

 

Reveal yourself.-Thomas Mulready
CoolCleveland.com
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