06.19-06.26.2019 Reawakened

06.19-06.26.19
Reawakened

It sounds so fresh. But we know that the process of reinventing something is never easy. It wasn’t easy for Lake Erie, it wasn’t easy for the Cuyahoga River, and it isn’t easy for our region. But it’s happening, and we should take a moment to celebrate.

Cuyahoga50 is the party we’ve been waiting for. And a few years ago, the powers that be would have been too embarrassed to get behind it. But now we’re comfortable understanding that the burning Cuyahoga was a flash point for the environmental movement worldwide, and we’re hosting a profusion of events to celebrate. We’ve got the links.

Make Music Day started in France, and we happened to be there a number of years ago to witness the entire country come out of the woodwork, playing instruments, singing and participating. Cleveland’s day is this Friday, and we spoke with the organizer about Sousapalooza, the Blue Water Chamber Orchestra, and other events from the Van Aken District to PHS to the Rock Hall.

It’s time to Rock the Lead Out, welcome the return of Asiatown’s Night Market, enjoy open-air music at the Hungarian Cultural Garden, honor our role in the Civil War at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, take in a leisurely nighttime bike ride in the Geauga Park District or the Pajama Party Night Ride in our national park, experience one of the many festivals this weekend, and help the group Pregnant With Possibilities, a lifeline for young moms. Now we’re wide awake. –Thomas Mulready

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Photo by Thomas Mulready

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A Celebration of Water

Since early this year, there have been lectures and forums and exhibits around the 50th anniversary of the last Cuyahoga River fire on June 22, 1969. It all culminates this week with a profusion of events all over northeast Ohio, as part of the Xtinguish Torchfest and Cuyahoga50, ranging from a 100-mile walk led by Ojibwe elder Sharon Day to a roller skating party at moCa Cleveland.

You won’t get to them all and we don’t have time and space to list them all, although we’ll give you a link where you can find them. But we have rounded up and previewed some of the ones that really piqued our interest. You’ll find them all here. Wed 6/19-Sun 6/23.

Music, Music Everywhere

Make Music Day, which encourages people of all skill levels to make music wherever they are, started in France more than 35 years ago. Cleveland got in on it three years ago with musicians – kids and adults, professional and amateur – performing in coffeeshops, clubs, parks and porches. But when the previous organizer stepped away, it looked like it was curtains for the event.

In stepped Cleveland Orchestra bass player Henry Peyrebrune, who decided Make Music Day was too valuable to lose, so he formed a nonprofit to take it over. “What’s different about this from all of the other great music festivals and presentations we have in Cleveland is that this is about participating,” he says. “So what’s exciting about it is that it’s everybody making music and it’s open to anyone.” Fri 6/21.

MLB All-Star Legacy Project opens at BW

Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians and Baldwin Wallace University celebrate the opening of the All-Star Student Veterans Center at BW. The community enrichment project is tied to MLB’s Midsummer Classic hosted by the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on Tue 7/9. A celebration and unveiling at BW will take place on Fri 7/5.

Britnee Davis, president of BW’s Student Veteran Organization, which represents 90-plus military veterans currently enrolled, said the project addresses the distinctive needs of veterans working to earn degrees and transition into new civilian career paths. “We’re looking forward to having a place on campus we can call home.” Info.

Rock the Lead Out

You’ve probably been hearing about lead poisoning on the local news, thanks to a citizen group called CLASH – Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing. Due to Cleveland City Council foot-dragging and half measures, CLASH is working to put a stronger lead amelioration issue on the March 2020 ballot, creating mandatory inspection, a fund to help landlords pay for remediation, and education on the dangers of lead to kids.

This effort costs money, so the Ohio Student Association is throwing a benefit for CLASH at Mahall’s in Lakewood. It includes live music, an art show, mini-massages, tarot card readings, live painters and face painters – and admission is just $5, a small price to pay to keep another generation of kids from suffering the life-long effects of lead poisoning. Wed 6/26.

SPONSORED: Celebrating the Cuyahoga Take part in a Sacred River Walk, see the torch passed along 100 miles of the river, catch the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge lighting, and join the celebration of the rebirth of the Cuyahoga River 50 years after its iconic fire woke up the world. Check out all the 25 cool events from Wed 6/19 through Sun 6/23 all over town. Check out the video here, then get the complete guide to music, talks, exhibitions, the Burning River Fest and more!

AsiaTown’s Night Market Returns

One of the most disappointing gaps in last year’s summer event schedule was the absence of the Night Markets on Rockwell in AsiaTown. In four summers of monthly events, they grew explosively until as many as 15,000 people swarmed the little side street, scooping up food from area restaurants, shopping local artisans and taking in a cross-cultural mix of music, dance and street performers.

Breathe a sigh of relief! They’re back. It turns out that “gap year” was mostly due to construction in the area, including along Rockwell, where visitors will find an upgraded street with all the stuff they loved about the event in years past, with its diverse, bustling crowds and special nighttime ambience. Fri 6/21.

A Lifeline for Moms

When Veranda Rodgers got pregnant as a teenager, she fought to avoid the dead-end life and deep poverty that awaits many young mothers. And after getting her masters degree and becoming a college teacher, she felt she should do something to help other young moms. So she formed the nonprofit resource center Pregnant With Possibilities.

The organization provides help for other young women struggling to do the best by their children, even if they didn’t come along at an opportune time, with everything from job resources to contraception information to diapers and onesies. Learn how one local woman turned her own experience into a chance to reach back and help others.

SPONSORED: See 7 musical gems in rep thru Sat 8/10 at The Ohio Light Opera’s Freedlander Theatre at the College of Wooster: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, George & Ira Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II’s Music in the Air, Ivor Novello’s Perchance to Dream, and Emrich Kalman’s The Devil’s Rider. Call 330-263-2345 or visit OhioLightOpera.org.

The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra just completed its 34th season. It will share some of the highlights at Nighttown and unveil what’s in store for 2019-2020, a season it’s dubbed “Good Times, Great Time – The CJO at 35.” Fri 6/21

* Paul Kovac’s Big Grass Band holds lecture/demo at The Music Settlement in Ohio City Wed 6/19 and plays traditional bluegrass and original tunes at the BOP STOP. Fri 6/21.

* No Exit New Music brings an evening of contemporary flute music to Appletree Books. Fri 6/21.

* Enjoy open-air music at the Hungarian Cultural Garden’s Franz Liszt concert. Sun 6/23.

* Hale Farm & Village kicks off its monthly Thursday Night Music Club with Akron’s Zack Friedhof. Thu 6/20.

WED 6/19
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument on Public Square honors Cuyahoga County soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War. Extensive research uncovered the names of 107 black Union soldiers from this area; their names will be unveiled at a ceremony at the monument this morning.

* The annual Jam for Justice at the House of Blues raises money for the Legal Aid Society.

* Wade Oval Wednesday celebrates Juneteenth and joins in the city-wide Xtinguish celebration.

Click here for more events on Wed 6/19

THU 6/20
ARTneo’s new exhibit is called The Art of Pride, spotlighting NE Ohio LGBT artists. They kick it off with a forum tonight on “The Art of Drag,” and after the opening tomorrow at 78th Street Third Friday, there’ll be a dance party called Community Voices: Pride.

* Asian Lantern Fest illuminates Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, through Sun 7/28.

* Jazz violinist Maureen Choi and her quartet play at the BOP STOP tonight and Akron’s Blu Jazz+ tomorrow.

* convergence-continuum theater explores domestic violence in My Body Is Blue, through Sat 6/22.

* Acoustic folk duo Dawn and Hawkes returns to Riverdog Barn.

* Cleveland Bazaar kicks off its series of Third Thursday markets in Hingetown.

* Maelstrom Collaborative Arts’ Rising Tide brings artists together to push their craft forward.

Click here for more events on Thu 6/20

FRI 6/21
A leisurely nightime bike ride is a great way to soak in the sounds and smells of dusk. Join a group exploring trails after dark at the Geauga Park District tonight, or tomorrow when Century Cycles in Peninsula leads a Pajama Party Night Ride in CVNP – and yes, you can wear your PJs.

* 78th Street’s Third Friday is packed with new shows and special events.

* Tower Press artists host exhibit of their work in the building’s Wooltex Gallery.

* SPACES opens shows by three women artists.

* The City Club presents a free forum on “The State of the Great Lakes” at the Convention Center Ballroom.

* Ethiopian photographer Michael Tsegaye offers a fresh look at the Cuyahoga River at the Cleveland Print Room.

* Akron’s annual Blue Heron Homecoming celebrates the restoration of the Cuyahoga River & its tributaries.

* Learn something you didn’t know about this town at Cleveland History Days, starting today with an opening ceremony at the Cleveland History Center. Through Sun 6/30.

Click here for more events on Fri 6/21

SAT 6/22
Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in Huron picks a different theme each year for its herb fair. This year it’s “Scarborough Fair,” and it’s inviting visitors to come dressed in 60s/70s hippie fashion to browse vendors, explore the greenhouse, listen to music, enjoy food and sit in on talks and classes on how to use the farm’s organic herbs. Also tomorrow.

* Xtinguish Torchfest terminates in the Flats with a day of activities at Rivergate Park.

* Ghanaian drummer Paa Kow brings his global fusion sound to Akron’s Blu Jazz+.

* Dru Christine Fabrics & Design hosts blowout sale at her Lake Affect Studios workshop.

* Summer Solstice show brings a pair of familiar acts back to Oberlin’s Riverdog Barn.

* Take a walking tour of Veterans Memorial Bridge subway level & see unique lighting installation.

* Join the Burning River Roller Girls at moCa Cleveland to roller skate for the river.

Click here for more events on Sat 6/22

SUN 6/23
Major League Baseball isn’t known for being gay-friendly; it’s never had an active out player. Cleveland’s Baseball Heritage Museum, on the other hand, welcomes all fans. That’s why it’s hosting its first ever Pride Day, with refreshments, a raffle and “BHM Has Pride” souvenirs.

* North Coast Harbor Day wraps up Cuyahoga50 celebration at the Rock Hall and GL Science Center.

* Michigan duo The War and Treaty are back for another Ohio City house concert.

Click here for more events on Sun 6/23

MON 6/24
Usually when you hear news about Youngstown’s economy, it’s all bad. Today at the city’s Stambaugh Auditorium, The City Club of Cleveland is hosting a forum on “The State of the Valley,” at which local movers and shakers will talk about ideas to revive the region.

* Take a walking tour to learn the history of Public Square.

Click here for more events on Mon 6/24

TUE 6/25
The City Club of Cleveland hosts another free, outdoor forum on Public Square. This one will look at Cleveland’s history as the tree-covered “Forest City”, explore why the trees disappeared and share what organizations are doing to replant them.

* Chicago’s eclectic Claudettes are back in town to play Mahall’s.

* Tri-C JazzFest screens 1986 film starring jazz legend Dexter Gordon at the Capitol Theatre, with his widow on hand to do a Q&A and sign her bio of him.

Click here for more events on Tue 6/25

WED 6/26
Get an early start on July 4th at University Circle’s Wade Oval Wednesday. Tonight’s edition has two of Cleveland’s favorite attractions: watching fireworks and the reggae music of Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band. If the weather’s nice, expect a mob.

* Try some vegan Mexican food at La Plaza Supermarket’s Vegan Wednesday.

Click here for more events on Wed 6/26

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Councilman Ken Johnson’s Story Keeps Getting Wilder

As one of his constituents, our columnist C. Ellen Connally has been keeping a close eye on Ken Johnson, who has been Cleveland’s Ward 4 councilman for almost four decades. This week she tells us the confusing story of his many “sons” — or not-sons, depending on the situation and accusations of nepotism. A former judge herself, she relates the irregularities involved in his being granted guardianship of numerous boys.

She also suggests that perhaps the long-tenured Johnson should take a lesson from the fate of the late Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr of New York (pictured). Once one of the most famous, charismatic and powerful black voices in America, that power and his ego proved to be his downfall when he stuck around too long and thought he was above the law.

An Open Letter to the New Jail Administrator

Welcome to Cuyahoga County Ms. Ronda Gibson. As a professional correctional administrator, I’m sure you’re well aware of the term “the orderly running of the institution.” It’s the mantra of every jail and prison in the country. The problem is, the Cuyahoga County Jail is not run in an orderly fashion, and I’m speaking primarily of the staff…

* Dems Should Play the Long Game The best strategy for Dems at this point is to rally behind Joe Biden (warts and all) as long as he names the ablest politician in the country as his VP…

* Coming of Age in the Ghetto: A Father’s Day Tribute I would see my father stand up for himself – and for others – many times over the years in the rough-and-tumble Cleveland neighborhood where I grew up. But it was this incident, in my twelfth year, that marked the beginning of my personal journey to manhood….

Read other stories from Mansfield Frazier here