Treasure It

03.11-03.18.09
Treasure It

In this week’s issue:

What do you treasure about Cleveland? Maybe it’s all the great family stuff going on 24/7- we cherry-pick just a few this week, like LENSC’s Friday Family Fun Night. Or maybe it’s our fab arts and culture: this week we profile CYO’s Liza Grossman with a video, and the CMA’s renovationist treasures, highlighted below. Or the Oberlin Symphony’s new disc, or maybe Patricia Awen Fey O’Luanaigh, the force behind the Women and Spirituality Symposium. Possibly you treasure our Cool Cleveland parties: special ticket prices for our TV Party on 3/20 at Beck and our just-announced Future of Cleveland party on 4/22 at CSU are both offering huge discounts until midnight Fri 3/13. Allowing you to save your treasure for some of the other baubles in this week’s e-blast. –Thomas Mulready

Live theatre, hors d’oeuvres, drinks, art & lotsa TVs
TWO for ONE price extended until Midnight Fri 3/13 here!

Where would we be without the TV? You’ll find out when you attend our Cool Cleveland party and receive your ticket to see The Farnsworth Invention at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood on Fri 3/20, starting at 5:30PM. Written by Aaron Sorkin, the creator of TV’s The West Wing, this documentary style play traces the early development of the TV and the intrigue involving teenaged inventor Philo Farnsworth and his arch-enemy, RCA’s David Sarnoff. Swith on the remote, and enjoy a pre-show networking party for only $15, giving you 50% OFF when you order tix online here before Midnight Fri 3/13. Map & info here.

Can you believe you get all this:

• A ticket to Beck Center’s production of the critically acclaimed The Farnsworth Invention by Aaron Sorkin (a $31 value!) at 8PM
• Selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres from the new 56 West bistro, starting at 5:30PM: A series of ingenious Food TV Stations: Happy Days, featuring Mini Burgers and Mini Dogs; The Sopranos, showcasing an elaborate Antipasto Table, Crustini and Tomato Rosemary Skewers; Green Acres, featuring Fruit Coming Out of Wheat Grass, with Stuffed Wild Mushrooms with Mini Pulled Pork Sandwiches; and M*A*S*H, highlighting Korean Foods & stir-fry.
• Variety of complimentary wines from Rozi’s Wine House
• Sneak peek of Painting the Town: Artists in Cleveland in the Late 20th Century at the attached Cleveland Artists Foundation gallery
• Exhibition of vintage televisions from Fairlawn’s TV Dinner Club Museum
• Complimentary coffee, tea and pastries from Beck Cafe, just off the Beck’s lobby: Lemon Bars, Fudge Brownies, Apple & Cherry Turnovers, Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies, Shamrock and “Smiley Face” Hippie Cookies, Russian Tea Biscuits, White Chocolate Raspberry & Orange Cranberry Scones, Pineapple, Blueberry and Strawberry Danish, and more
• Showcases of dance and music performances by young artists from the Beck Center’s Education and Creative Arts Therapies program

Get Two for One when you order online, and enjoy a night of networking with other cool Clevelanders, hors d’oeuvres, art and excellent theatre, all for $15, a full 50% OFF, extended until Midnight Fri 3/13.
https://coolcleveland.net/tickets/032009

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HOT NYT article on the foreclosure crisis focuses on Cleveland and Slavic Village; Ward 12 Councilman Tony Brancatelli figures prominently in the piece, which ran as NYT Magazine cover story this past Sunday. Read
Cle Commercial Loan delinquencies signal more of the same according to Bloomberg report here
Old Stone Church If Claudia Taller’s article inspired you to visit this iconic building, their programming might interest you as well. Who says there is no (soul) free(ing) lunch?
“Landlord Nation” or “Vulture Capitalists”? This USN&WR story is pretty interesting. Read
GREEN The first of Green Cottages Project is almost done! Helmed and developed by the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust, these are unique homes, offering homeowners a wealth of energy savings and modern convenience. Learn more
A study suggests Payday Lending curb is simply not working out. Listen
Civic Innovation Lab touts success rate for projects, including Cool Cleveland
Legendary Swingo’s closure makes the nationals in the form of MSNBC article. Sad news
Medical Mart melodrama, Cleveland’s State of the City and the State budget cuts make up a Tom Beres forum discussion from WKYC show. Watch

CSU Men’s B-ball wins League Tournament For the first time since 1986, the Cleveland State University Men’s Basketball team will play in the NCAA tournament after winning the Horizon League championship tournament last night, upsetting 16th ranked Butler 57-54. Six of CSU’s first seven shots in the second half were three-pointers, pushing the Vikings to overcome an 8-point deficit, and Butler’s home court advantage, and putting them on top for the game. Time to get your Vikings gear and get proud! CSUVikings.com

HOT “The 10 major newspapers ‘that will either fold or go digital'” according to quote-unquote Time magazine? Well, the PD was listed at #10 in a blogpost co-opted by Time: piece suggested PD “will be shut or go digital by the end of next year” and caused quite a stir. Turns out it was all an elaborate, complicated and “baseless” opinion with some “media literacy” lessons learned. Both links are worth a read… just to see how it all went down…

GREEN The Pathways to Green Jobs Program will start in the spring of 2009. This program is being run by the Tri-C Green Academy, and will train people for jobs in the sustainability sector. Persons with prior criminal records are encouraged to apply. Mandatory Information sessions are Tue 3/17 at 9AM (Room 140) and Wed 3/25 at 9AM (Room 229) @ Tri-C’s United Technologies Center, 2415 Woodland Ave. You must call to reserve a space! Call 987-3233.

HELP 2009 Vagabond Tour hits this Thu 3/12 from 4 – 8PM at Geigers Sporting Goods Store, 14710 Detroit Rd. (near Warren and Detroit Rd.) in Lakewood. A screening of For Tomorrow (selection at the Tribeca and Sundance Film festivals, http://www.ForTomorrowMovie.com) will take place. Guests will be able to view the film, learn about Toms Shoes mission and more. Toms policy is to donate “One for One” — for every pair of shoes purchased one pair is donated to a child in need. Email tomscleveland@gmail.com for more info. Learn about Toms at http://www.TomsShoes.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.

What’s your cool idea for the future of Cleveland – in economic development, in housing, in education, in race relations? We want to know – so Cool Cleveland is teaming up with Cleveland State University to present an evening of visionary fun with a career-boosting twist (after all, what are universities for?) on Wed 4/22 from 5:30-8PM. More info here.

Enjoy a delicious spread of hors d’oeuvres and open bar with beer & wine in the spectacularly renovated Fenn Tower and meet 8 Executives-In-Residence for an F2F discussion about Cleveland’s (and your own) future: Steven Minter, former director of The Cleveland Foundation; former state senator Grace Drake; David Whitehead, former VP of FirstEnergy; Julian Earls, former director of NASA-Glenn; Barbara Byrd-Bennett, former CEO, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and others. Networking, round-robin discussion (think speed dating with a civic twist!), incorporating your cool ideas, with everything live blogged. Details, menu & map here. Special advance tickets available for only $14 if you order online before MIDNIGHT 3/13 here:
Newsletter/Csu042209

SANDstruction You don’t have to wait till your next beach vacation to have a great time in the sand. Come build, sift, dump and explore the 70 tons of sand, which is part of the “SANDstruction Exhibit” at The Children’s Museum of Cleveland. This exhibit is only in town through mid-April; highlights include the opportunity to create sand sculptures, construct buildings, examine blueprints, “drive” dump trucks, and excavating sand with a digger. Cool! Part of the museum’s daily programming. http://www.ClevelandChildrensMusuem.org.

GREEN Friday Family Fun: Going Green Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s popular Friday Family Fun nights for all ages goes “green” on Fri 3/13 — exploring and celebrating earth-friendly living, with area students helping to lead the night’s activities. The event will include cool recycled crafts for the kids, live performances by two local youth bands, The Tree Huggers and Another Green Day, as well as the “Ecomedians”, a visit to the Veggie Bus, games, GreenScene webcasting and special planetarium programs focused on light pollution. Kid-friendly dinner buffet rounds out the fun! Visit http://www.LENSC.org or call 440-871-2900.

Amelia Earhart disappeared in a Lockheed Electra with her navigator, Fred Noonan, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. They were never found. Over 70 years later, the mystery of her disappearance and her legacy live on in the imaginations of kids and adults worldwide. The International Women’s Air & Space Museum will tell Earhart’s story through artifacts, narrative, and photographs in a new exhibit opening Fri 3/13 and running through mid-September. Rare artifacts in the museum’s collection will be on display, many for the first time! Get lost in the mystery! Call 623-1111 for more info or visit http://www.IWASM.org.

Circus INcognitus PlayhouseSquare’s Discovery Theatre Series for Families features this group, including Cirque du Soleil veteran Jamie Adkins (pictured) on Sat 3/14. Be there as he faces what he fears most — public speaking. Performance takes place in the Ohio Theatre. Visit http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org or call 830-7221.

Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet performs at the historic Akron Civic Theatre Sat 3/14 at 2:30PM and 7:30PM and Sun 3/15 at 2:30PM as a part of their spring “Storybook Series Ballet,” The Empty Pot. They’ll also world premiere At My BEST, by DancEvert’s Tom Evert. Group and Scout discounts are available. Call 330-535-3179, 330-996-1100 or visit the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet’s site at http://www.CVYB.org.

GREEN Sustainable Solutions for Misfit Toys Parents often face a “trash or stash” dilemma when their child’s treasured toy breaks. They can now learn about practical and easy solutions to this problem when The Cleveland Museum of Natural History partners with Happen Inc. to host this Murch Auditorium event Sat 3/14 from 1 – 4PM. The “wacky professors” from Happen Inc.’s Toy Lab will be at the Museum to collect donations of plastic or rubber toys and spread the word about invention and reinvention. with a 30-minute interactive demo for kids. http://www.CMNH.org. http://www.Toy-Lab.com.

Maple Sugaring Weekend @ Lake Metroparks Farmpark On Sat 3/14 and Sun 3/15 from 9AM – 5PM, grab your family and enjoy this sweet event at Lake Metroparks Farmpark. In addition to enjoying a springtime visit with the farmpark’s animals, your family will delight at special events and demonstrations celebrating Maple Sugaring Weekend. http://www.LakeMetroparks.com or call 440-256-2122.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 13-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

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

Liza Grossman
Contemporary Youth Orchestra: Broadway Contemporary 3/14

Liza rocks. Don’t ask us. Ask the hundreds of high school students who have studied contemporary classical music with her Contemporary Youth Orchestra over the past 13 years and worked with visiting artists like Graham Nash, Pat Benatar, DEVO’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Jon Anderson of Yes, Ray Manzarek of The Doors, and members of Styx. Each season, they focus on a different theme; for the past two years the focus has been on “Music and It’s Industry,” to show the kids how they can actually make a living in music. Year 1 highlighted cartoon music, last year it was movie music, and this week, on Sat 3/14 at 7PM at Lakewood Civic Auditorium, they showcase “Broadway Contemporary,” with music from Spring Awakening, Kiss Me Kate, A Chorus Line, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sweeney Todd and others. Watch the video as Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready talks with Liza about her musical passions, and how she ignites that same passion in her students. http://www.CYOrchestra.org

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

Current Cle convention ctr foundation is OK for brand new complex. Click
Ohio tops nation in Corporate Investment according to this piece
Cle Hopkins “AirMall” lands 7 new tenants and details are here
Cleveland Corporate Services wins first National Elite Partner Award! Click
Here are three great corporate moves that made Business Facilities mag. Cool! 2 of them are “us”

Airport legend passes Fred Krum, a visionary leader who oversaw outstanding growth of the Akron-Canton Airport for over 28 years, managing over $250M in capital improvements, quadrupling passenger numbers, attracting AirTran, Frontier and Piedmont Airlines (bringing down airfares in our region), and acquiring hundreds of acres of airport land, has passed away after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He will be missed, but his legacy lives on. AkronCantonAirport.com.

HELP 2009 Polaris/Westshore Neighborhood Family Service Center Career Fair will be held at Polaris Career Center, 7285 Old Oak Blvd., Middleburg Hts on Wed 4/1 from 10AM – 2PM. A collaborative effort between Cuyahoga County Department of Employment & Family Services, Polaris Career Center, Westshore Neighborhood Family Service Center (NFSC) and Employment Connection, the no-cost event is designed to foster the development of a competitive and productive workforce, will provide a vital link between employers, job seekers, community organizations and government agencies. Employers must register online at here no later than this Fri 3/13 as space is limited.

SPONSORED: You Can’t Change Wall Street. Or the economy. But you can bet on the future. Your future. That’s what an advanced business degree from Cleveland State University is all about. Outstanding academics. Hands-on experience. Affordable education. And wired to Cleveland area employers. With a business degree from the Nance College of Business, you’ll be ready when the economy rebounds. In fact, you’ll be prepared for whatever your future brings. Learn more at an Open House. Visit the site to find the date and location most convenient for you. Scholarships and graduate assistantships are available. Engage change. Engage CSU. Info: www.csuohio.edu.

GREEN How to save $ with Sustainability is latest E4S forum (Akron) on Wed 3/11 and the details are here
Join Cle Professional 20/30 Club Recruitment Event Grand Slam event hits @ Market Cafe and Wine Bar Thu 3/12 at 5:30PM. Details
Corporate Club at Landerhaven’s Women of Excellence luncheon feat Sari Feldman, CCPL and others on Thu 3/12. Moderated by Dee Perry, ideastream. Register
Ask the Experts on writing web content Learn to write for the web, search engines and your audience on Fri 3/13. Details here
Healthcare can’t wait Thomas J. Strauss, Pres. & CEO of Summa Health System addresses Akron Roundtable luncheon on Thu 3/19 at 11:45AM @ Tangier, 532 West Market St., Akron. Click
CBIZ Roundtable Luncheon covers fraud, risk mgm’t Tue 3/24 w/ featured speaker. Register
Engineering Leadership Breakfast Series offers Jeffrey L. Dean, CAE, ED and Gen Counsel, Int’l Society of Explosives Engineers Thu 3/26 @ Hilton Garden Inn Cle, 1100 Carnegie Ave.
Jim Rokakis: Breakfast Networking Meeting The County Treasurer speaks on how to save Cle/Cuy County Thu 4/2 at this Cuy Valley COC event. Register
Crain’s Cleveland Business Twenty in their 20s Awards ceremony takes place at House of Blues Tue 4/7. Tix onsale now. See what dynamic YPs we have in C-town! Tickets

HOT The 2009 Women’s Leadership Conference will be held on Wed 3/11 starting at 8:30AM at its new central location Crowne Plaza City Centre. With a mission to help equip NEO women with career advancement skills for today’s stormy economic environment, the conference aims to provide the tools necessary to get ahead (and stay ahead) in today’s local job climate. Register at http://www.YWCAofCleveland.org or call 881-6878.

HOT Get Out of Jail for Free: Top 10 Deadliest Mistakes for Small Businesses comprises latest Global Gateway Series event Fri 3/27 at 11:45AM at the Beachwood COC, 23230 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 900. It’s presented by Prof. Carole Heyward, Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law; includes lunch and lecture. Pre-registration required. Register at http://www.CSUOhio.edu/business/global/gateway.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

The 2009 Women’s Leadership Conference will be held on Wed 3/11 starting at 8:30AM at its new central location Crowne Plaza City Centre. With a mission to help equip NEO women with career advancement skills for today’s stormy economic environment, the conference aims to provide the tools necessary to get ahead (and stay ahead) in today’s local job climate. To register, visit http://www.YWCAofCleveland.org or call 881-6878.

Invisible Wounds of War Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus offers a one-day symposium on post deployment stress issues on Wed 3/11 from 8AM – 4PM at the Tri-C Western Campus Theatre, located at 11000 Pleasant Valley Rd., Parma. The featured speaker will be Terri Tanielian, co-director, Invisible Wounds of War by the RAND Corporation. Call 987-3075 to register; space is limited.

A Community Concert Cleveland Museum of Art’s VIVA! And Gala Around Town series presents “The Complete Works of Beethoven for Cello and Piano” in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall on Wed 3/11 at 7:30PM. In his Cleveland debut, the Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey presents a bold program of Beethoven’s complete sonatas and variations. http://www.cim.edu. http://www.ClevelandArt.org/viva.

Conversation on Social Inclusion How do we welcome and invite all people to fully participate in neighborhood life? Learn how individuals and organizations welcome new homeowners and renters to their community. And learn how one person who was marginalized due to her disability got connected. It’s a dialogue worth hearing Thu 3/12 from 6 – 8:30PM at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. Refreshments will be served. RSVP to Cynthia Lewis at Neighborhood Connections at 393-4642 or email her at clewis@neighborhoodgrants.org.

The Farnsworth Invention Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood presents the Cle premiere of the award-winning play, The Farnsworth Invention, by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, on their Mackey Main Stage starting Fri 3/13 and running through mid-April. Showtimes and info are available at http://www.BeckCenter.org. Cool Cleveland hosts a TV Party which includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres & wine, a sneak peek of CAF exhibition, showcases, coffee, tea & pastries, a TV museum… and a comp ticket to see The Farnsworth Invention on Fri 3/20. Click here for more info

Two Poets Poets David Adams, author of Room for Darkness, Room for Light: New & Selected Poems 1972-2008 and Terri Witek [pictured], author of The Shipwreck Dress will read on Fri 3/13 at 7PM at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry, 1820 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights. Adams lives in Rhode Island and spent many years teaching technical writing to engineering students at Michigan State and The University of Maine. Witek, a native of Sandusky, Ohio teaches creative writing at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. http://www.MacsBacks.com.

Breaking Away Party with Masi and Century Cycles Calling all CUTTERS! Celebrate the 30th anniversary of what is arguably the best bicycling movie of all time, Breaking Away, at a no cost, Italian-themed party on Fri 3/13 at 7PM. Watch clips from the movie, get details on the 2009 Little 500 bike race, and check out Masi Bicycles — Century Cycles’ new line of bikes (and what “Dave” rode in the movie). Door prizes round out the fun. Century Cycles, 19955 Detroit Rd., Rocky River (next to Herb’s Tavern). Call 440-356-5705 or visit http://www.CenturyCycles.com.

The Bow Wow Club Karamu House presents the Midwest premiere of this Lorraine Hansberry award-winning stage play during the celebration of Women’s Month. Five teenage friends reunite after 20 years to reconnect emotionally and through discovery, revelations and realities they are forced to choose between their stunning and fundamental differences and the undeniable power of their lifelong bond. The play explores friendship, love, responsibility, and survival. Directed by Clevelander Hassan Rogers, this is a play for mature audiences, ages 18 and up. Check it out starting Fri 3/13 at 8PM. http://www.Karamu.com.

Artistic by Nature This BAYarts Juried Show kicks off with an Opening Reception Fri 3/13 from 7 – 9PM with a plethora of works by local artists that are truly inspired by nature. 28795 Lake Rd., Bay Village. Learn more at http://BAYarts.net.

Tremont ArtWalk The latest installment hits Fri 3/13 at 6:30PM featuring Asterisk* Gallery’s KSU Graduate Program Exhibition curated by Kirk Mangus; a sale of the private collection of Frank Green takes place at Doubting Thomas gallery; Suki Yume (716 College St., 702-5461) features paintings, photos, sculptures, jewelry, purses by all by local artists. Mastrioanni Photography and Arts, Brandt Gallery and Prosperity Social Club are among the other highlights. Details at http://www.TremontArtWalk.org.

Art & Ale It’s this week’s case of truth in advertising. The Akron Art Museum’s budding beer-tasting event features boutique beers and savory snacks in an atmosphere only the Beatrice Knapp McDowell Grand Lobby can provide Fri 3/13. Explore, learn about art (and fine beer) in “a sanctuary of fine art.” Three Akron microbreweries, Ohio Brewing Company, Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. and Hoppin’ Frog Brewery supply the brews, along with House of LaRose. Call 330-376-9185 or click here for details.

Shelly DiCello The artist’s exhibition at the Cleveland Institute of Art launches Fri 3/13 and will remain on view through late April in the CIA’s Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts on Mon-Fri from 10AM – 5PM. DiCello’s aesthetic is that of lyrical documentation where the physical materials provide a metaphor for the process of psychological re-evaluation and development. She is the Program Coordinator at the Morgan Conservatory Art, as well as an Adjunct faculty at The Cleveland Institute of Art. http://www.CIA.edu.

John Primer The sharp bluesman from Chicago will be performing in concert on Fri 3/13 at Wilbert’s Food & Music on Huron, supporting his disc All Original which he released on his new record label — Blues House Productions. Bluesmen often get nicknames; they call this dude “The Real Deal” and it’s easy to understand why when you hear ’em. Primer and The Real Deal Blues Band. Think Mississippi tradition meets Modern Electric and Chicago Blues with master slide guitar techniques. The Grammy Award and Handy Award Nominee will make ya happy… and if you’re not hanging at Mike Miller’s place regularly, you need to be. He’s got great food. http://www.WilbertsMusic.com. http://www.JohnPrimerBlues.com.

Listen to Utopia Yoshiko Kanai, a multi-media artist based in Brooklyn, NY, is the latest to participate in the SPACELab experimental project space at SPACES Gallery on the Superior Viaduct. Kanai first showed her work at SPACES in 2005; her ongoing body of work experiments with form, space, and sound and her current exhibition (which continues through early April) is a perfect stop Sat 3/14 from 11AM – 5PM. Listen to Utopia comes from Kanai’s immigrant perspective and personal experiences related to the familial archetype, the American Dream, and a vision of Utopia. http://www.SPACESgallery.org.

Get’Er Done Agin Valley Art Center’s 2009 benefit bash hits Sat 3/14 at 6:30PM at Edwards Crystal Brook Farm. This Western-style soiree promises to be a roaring fun time. The evening includes gourmet Wild West fare, wine, beer and margaritas, an auction, vintage portraiture, caricature artists, and cowboy-style music with dancing. This will be a hoedown to remember — all in a large barn filled with character and charm. VAC, 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls. Call 440-247-7507 for additional info. http://www.ValleyArtCenter.org.

The Boys from the County Hell The Irish American Club, East Side, 22770 Lakeshore Blvd. in Euclid hosts the “Annual Guinness and Harp Party” featuring this pretty legitimate Pogues cover band Sat 3/14 at 7:30PM. Start your St. Patty’s early. Food and beverages at reasonable prices. Call 731-4003 or snag tix at the door.

Spring Awakening If you’ve not seen it yet, this weekend’s your last chance at PlayhouseSquare’s run of dates. The eight-time Tony Award winner (including Best Musical) is Broadway’s most talked about new musical. Featuring the music of Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening is the next logical step for stage productions after RENT — a “groundbreaking fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll.” See it Sat 3/14 and Sun 3/15. Details here.

SPONSORED: WCLV 104.9 FM has another live broadcast by The Cleveland Orchestra this Sat 3/14, from Severance Hall. Franz is the conductor in a program that includes The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Children’s Chorus in Brahms’ “Song of Destiny” and Kodaly’s “Psalmus hungaricus.” Complete details on all of WCLV’s classical music programming available at http://www.WCLV.com.

GREEN LEAF Public The Lakewood Earth and Food Community [pictured] annual public meeting will be taking place on Sun 3/15 from 5:30 – 7:30PM at the Lakewood Library Auditorium. Agenda items will include information about LEAF’s 2009 community gardening program and community supported agriculture programs. Community members will have the opportunity to register and pay for (checks and cash only) garden plots and CSA programs. Learn about this great org at http://www.LEAFCommunity.org.

Dave Zarembka The a member of the Alternatives to Violence Project working in Africa, will present Peacemaking After Deadly Conflict: Healing and Reconciliation in Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya on Sun 3/15 at 1PM at the Cleveland Friends Meeting, 10916 Magnolia Dr. (next to the Western Reserve Historical Society). Limited parking is available behind the Meetinghouse, with additional parking on Magnolia and in the University Circle, Inc. parking lot across the street. No cost, open to the public with RSVP. Space is limited. Email clevequakers@yahoo.com by Fri 3/13. http://www.AVPUSA.org.

In Bloom at the Garden w/ Orchid Mania The Cleveland Botanical Garden’s Orchid Mania is upon us again… and it’s fabulous. The theme? An exotic, erotic Orchids Under Glass. But in this ultimate two-fer, you can check out visual artist Maureen Lanza’s Spring Collection at the CBG as well. Check out a meet-and-greet artist reception Sun 3/15 from 1 – 4PM. Experience orchids as you never have before, while soaking up large florals in oil and acrylic. 11030 East Blvd. Call 721-1600 for details on the artist and on Orchid Mania. http://www.MaureenLanza.com. http://www.CBGarden.org.

Palimpsest Catherynne Valente will read from and sign her new book Palimpsest on Mon 3/16 at 8PM at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry, 1820 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights. Valente’s work is intricate and imaginative, lush and fanciful. Her mythological fantasies have gained a wide audience for their scope and breadth. http://www.MacsBacks.com.

Girls Aloud: Lipstick and Lyrics This live poetry and prose shindig at the B-Side Lounge at Coventry and Euclid Heights Blvd is a National Women’s Month slam-dunk. The fundraiser event for the W.O.W.S. (Women of the World Poetry Slam) helps put on upcoming events. Poets from Detroit, Columbus and Cleveland will be in the house to rock out, so come out and support the power and beauty of women! It’s an all-woman open mic Tue 3/17!!! 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., Cleveland Heights. For info, call 224-8710 or visit http://www.MySpace.com/ChiefRockaEnt216.

Felix Mendelssohn’s 200th Birthday will be commemorated by Cleveland Institute of Music faculty members Wed 3/18 at 8PM with a recital. The 200th Anniversary celebration graces CIM’s Mixon Hall and features violinist Mari Sato, cellist Melissa Kraut and pianist Elizabeth DeMio — all of whom will perform various works by Mendelssohn. Seating passes are required for this event; call 791-5000 or visit http://www.cim.edu for more information.

Paula McClain The Cle-based author will be discussing and signing A Ticket To Ride this Wed 3/18 at 7PM at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst. Set in the long, hot summer of 1973, McLain’s lyrical debut novel explores what happens when an insecure, motherless teenager falls under the dangerous spell of her older cousin Fawn. http://www.JosephBeth.com.

Speak from the Heart Cleveland Public Theatre Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan presents readings of new work from the CPT/Elyria YWCA Women’s Voices Project Wed 3/18 at 7PM at the Elyria YWCA (318 West Ave., Elyria) and Wed 3/25 at 8PM at CPT (6415 Detroit Ave.). Both performance are no cost open to the public and promise to be a powerful evening of original works of drama, story and poetry created and performed by women in transition. Donations will be accepted; each performance will be followed by a post-show discussion and reception. Call 631.2727 x 201 or email cseibert@cptonline.org for more info. http://www.CPTonline.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

It’s a Mansfield Trifecta!
The Fix is In, Soap in the Mouth and a Destruction of History

The Fix is Already In: I attended a meeting of concerned Westside citizens on Wednesday March 4. The residents were gathered in an attempt to get some answers regarding the redrawing of the ward boundary lines in the City of Cleveland. An Eastside group will hold a similar meeting at the Fatima Family Center, 6600 Lexington Ave. on Tuesday, March 17 at 6PM to try to do the same thing: get some straight answers on how City Council will be “fixed.”

The Westsiders were basically stonewalled, and I’m afraid the meeting on the 17th will only result in more stonewalling. The date the lines have to be re-drawn by is April 1, and Council President Sweeney isn’t about to let the citizenry know in advance where those new lines will be, since this might spark reasonable questions in regards to how the determination as to where the new lines were arrived at…
Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

“Transparency in government is comin’…” writes Ed Morrison. “This weekend, our colleague Valdis Krebs is presenting at the Transparency Camp 2009. He’s revealing the first of our Map the Mess maps.”

Get the links and add your comment on the BFD post Transparency Camp 2009

Explore Other Worlds Through Art
One of Cleveland’s Greatest Treasures: The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art has always been a place for exploration of other worlds. As a teenager who took studio art classes throughout four years of high school, our field trips became lessons in brush strokes and art history. As a young adult who moved from a major interest in art to a love of literature, I was interested in the lives of Picasso, Gauguin, and Seurat, and the plaques alongside the Museum’s collection of paintings gave me insight into how the artists felt about the world in which they lived. The museum is full of stories.

One of Cleveland’s greatest treasures, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection is available to everyone. Many Clevelanders have personal stories to tell about their visits to the CMA as a child, a young adult, or a parent introducing art to a child. Like a book discussion group that forces the reading of books outside one’s comfort zone, exhibits at CMA force a different perspective…

Read more from Claudia J. Taller here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Ward redistricting becomes a reality in Cleveland’s Ward 15.
Councilman Cummins blogs about it at RealNEO.
Bill Callahan thinks the chickens have come home to roost.
Roldo weighs in saying Council loses a strong voice, Callahan taking cheap shots.
Another opinion on the Ward 15 redistricting.

Following Her Bliss
Inside the CSU Women & Spirituality Conference

How did a garrulous, 50-something, triple-major Cleveland State undergrad who belongs to a Druid grove become the genius behind the upcoming Women and Spirituality Symposium? “The universe seems to have conspired on my behalf, as Goethe said. All I had to do was leap!” explains Patricia Awen Fey O’Luanaigh, a student of creative writing, women’s studies, and religion, and a divorced mother of two grown children.

Cleveland native O’Luanaigh has trod upon many spiritual paths throughout the years; raised Roman Catholic, she began exploring other religions as a teenager. “I read a lot of fairy tales and mythology,” she says, “and I had a pretty active imagination.” From the Hare Krishna temple to synagogues and mosques, transcendental meditation to Eckankar, there are few mainstream and fringe traditions she has not sampled. “I was just looking for some kind of common thread, and as you investigate all these different spiritual traditions, you come to understand that it all comes from a common need or impulse, and I think that’s what connects it for me. I consider myself a fringe-dweller…”
Read more from Dana Aritonovich here

The Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
The Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra
Oberlin Music

Driven by the desire to hear “new” classical music? Must your music be modern? Or is Mozart your only musical god? There’s a newly released CD by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music that satisfies all three yearnings. The Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall (recorded January 26, 2007) features pianist Pedja Muzijevic as soloist in Mozart’s classically gorgeous Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503 (with Philipp Karl Hoffmann’s cadenza); contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon’s “blue cathedral” (we know it’s new because it eschews caps in the title) and Bela Bartok’s darkly gorgeous Concerto for Orchestra. The recording lives up to expectations that the first-class student musicians at Oberlin play like the perceptive and talented creatures that they are under the baton of Oberlin alum Robert Spano.

Muzijevic, a native of Sarajevo, offers a crispy romantic version of Mozart’s last concerto (for the public series) that shows both pianist and composer at the top of their respective games. A keen sense of nostalgia permeates Higdon’s work–allowing the listener to construct personal dreams from its loosely gathered structure. Bartok’s celebration of Hungarian folk culture and his own dark nostalgia for his Hungarian homeland is woven into this piece. (It was composed during World War II after Bartok had fled to the United States.) This CD would make a perfect gift for discerning music lovers who just can’t choose only one type of music to love.

The CD can be purchased directly from Oberlin Music by calling 440-775-8272 or by e-mailing Mary Sutorius at mary.sutorius@oberlin.edu. Although Oberlin says it will also be available on Amazon.com, iTunes, and other major digital music services as of this review it seems to be only available from the sources above. Keep watching for it elsewhere.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

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

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/26 Two gorgeous and beloved Beethoven works conducted by the iconic Kurt Masur turned Thursday evening at Severance Hall into — let me search for a metaphor — chocolate, champagne, whatever one’s favorite indulgence might be. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with its dancelike rhythms (especially the waltz, a then-new dance, seems wrapped in the second movement) was a regular toe-tapper as played by soloist Louis Lortie…
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

Cleveland Heights @ Cleveland JCC 2/27 At intermission, and following the opening night performance of the Jewish Community Center’s Cleveland Heights, the major topic of conversation was the lack of Yiddisha [Jewish] Cleveland in the shallow and obvious script. Except for half-a-dozen references, which had almost nothing to do with the plot, the play could have been set in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis or any other city that has a couple of Jewish families and has gone through economic changes…
Read more from Roy Berko here

Seussical, the Musical @ Beachwood Community Theatre 2/27 In these dire financial times, it’s great that people are still supporting the arts–especially live entertainment. For some theater loving families, a night downtown might be a reach. But they aren’t left out in the cold because of the abundance of quality, inexpensive smaller professional and community theater groups in Northern Ohio…
Read more from Greg Cielec here

The Creation @ Fairmount Church 3/1 For the third year, three Heights area churches have joined together to present a major choral masterpiece, The Creation with soloists, orchestra and a chorus blending all three church choirs. This is a splendid new tradition which will hopefully be continued, especially as a portion of the proceeds benefit the Interfaith Hospitality Network, an organization that supports homeless families with children by offering temporary food and shelter through a network of religious congregations…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Spring Awakening @ PlayhouseSquare 3/3 Despite being a part of PlayhouseSquare’s Broadway series, this isn’t a traditional musical. It isn’t filled with the usual romanticism so often found on Broadway. Instead, it explores the tortured inner lives of adolescents in 19th century Germany. And, in spite of that setting, it’s still as modern as today! The problems are the same, the issues are the same, the angst is the same. The eight-time Tony winner, visually and emotionally probes into the coming of age, the shattering transformation that takes place as children become physical adults and have to face a world of mixed messages…
Read more from Roy Berko here

Crime and Punishment @ Cleveland Play House 3/4 It’s a pretty mind-blowing task to perceive that Fydor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, a long and complex 1864 novel, could be made into a 90-minute play, yet alone, be successful. Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus, undertook the task, and their successful proof is now on stage at the Cleveland Play House. The novel, which was originally published in 12 monthly installments in a Russian literary journal, focuses on the mental anguish of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished St. Petersburg law school dropout, who kills an unscrupulous pawnbroker seemingly for her money, thereby solving his financial problems…
Read more from Roy Berko here

In the Beginning @ CSU Waetjen Auditorium 3/6 March is the month for renewal and coupled with the 200th anniversary of composer Franz Joseph Haydn’s death, it seems appropriate for an abundance of choral works by the great master, especially from his oratorio The Creation. Betsy Burleigh, director of Choral Music at Cleveland State University presented her Chorus and Chorale in works on this theme, under the general heading of In the beginng… on Friday evening in Waetjen Auditorium. Neither ensemble is very large, but there are good voices in abundance, and the singers were all supremely focused in the five works…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

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This Week’s Model of Cool Cleveland includes the fine work of Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Laura Kennelly, Kelly Ferjutz, Bridget Ginley, Mansfield B. Frazier, Claudia J. Taller, Roldo Bartimole, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Greg Cielec and re-introducing the long-lost Dana Aritonovich! 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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