As we approach our 21st birthday, CoolCleveland contributor Claudia Taller celebrates the fall harvest, full of apples and cider, cornstalks and Indian corn, pumpkins and mums. Legendary DJ Billy Bass and I engage in a wide-ranging discussion inspired by the new book, Invisible Soul, by Carlo Wolff and James O’Hare, about Cleveland’s historic soul music scene. And Nighttown announces they’re back, sans music.The Accidentals play the Riverdog, Bonfoey turns 130, Dobama explores childhood, Story Club Cleveland gets scary, and Cleveland becomes Futureland. Cleveland’s tallest drag queen hosts a brunch, Literary Cleveland launches a reading series, and NEO gives up driving a car, while the Horrifying Halloween Party at BOP STOP is holding a table for you and your friends for Sat 10/28.
This Sunday, we’re rallying all over Ohio getting ready to VOTE YES on ISSUE 1 to preserve reproductive rights, while CPT presents Post-Roe Monologues to turn up the heat. CoolCleveland arts reporter Bruce Checefsky keeps a close eye on the dysfunctional discussions that are leading to a ballot campaign that will hopefully continue funding arts & culture in Cuyahoga. Your last day to register for the November election is next Tue 10/10. Looks like it’s time to get on board.
As they prepare for the Grand Opening of their magnificent new Visitor Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will temporarily close to the public through October 14. On that day, a special Member Preview will reveal the new Visitor Hall which will showcase the museum’s most significant specimens.
Become a member now and be among the first to experience what’s new at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The museum will reopen to the general public on Sunday, October 15. The museum offers free admission for residents of Cleveland and East Cleveland every Sunday, thanks to their ongoing Mandel Community Days.
During the interim, events are planned outside the museum: Sat 09.30: Mentor Marsh Birding Extravaganza; Sun 10/1: Mentor Marsh Bug Hunt; Sat 10/7: Curator-Led Field Trip: Geology at the Cemetery; Sun 10/8: Mentor Marsh Fabulous Fall Flowers Hike; Sun 10/08: Animals on the Oval, in front of Steggie at the entrance to the Museum; Sat 10/14: Second Saturday Science. Read more.
As the days get shorter and night temperatures fall, we look for ways to be outside and to be cozy before winter arrives. Pumpkin and Halloween decorations, hearty stews and casseroles, outdoor fires with s’mores, and farm stands all feed our love of the changing seasons.
And then there’s apples: crisp apples eaten raw, applesauce and apple crisp, apple tarts and pies, and apple cider. In Northeast Ohio, we can’t ignore apples. It seems like every time we drive into the country, a roadside stand or farm market beckons us to stop for apples, cider and baked goods. And then there are the cider mills, which are less numerous but worth looking for. Becoming immersed in Apple Time is nostalgic, fun and delicious, and it’s worth an afternoon’s time. Read more from CoolCleveland’s Claudia Taller.
Celebrating its tenth-anniversary season, the all-female quintet Seraph Brass—winner of the America Prize in Chamber Music—elevates the excellence of female brass players and highlights musicians from historically marginalized communities.
They bring their talents to the Finney Chapel stage on Fri 10/13 at 7:30PM. Their program includes works from Oberlin College professor Jeff Scott, Reena Esmail, Franz Liszt, Edvard Grieg, Kevin Day, Marcus Grant, Catherine McMichael, and Anthony DiLorenzo. Tickets: $10-$35. Read more.
Join Cleveland’s legendary DJ and record man Billy Bass and CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready in a wide ranging conversation on music, race and Cleveland’s cultural history as they discuss the new book, Invisible Soul: Uncovering Cleveland’s Underground Soul Scene, by Carlo Wolff and James O’Hare, published by Act 3, about the soul music scene over the decades in Cleveland.
At a recent board meeting of Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the organization which distributes the arts tax money, a vote was taken on three different future funding options, with little explanation or discussion and no public input, despite a looming election next year to renew the tax. Artist/activist Liz Maugans said she was “shocked and appalled” at the lack of transparency by the CAC Board and staff at the September 13 meeting. “Why would we want another ten years of this broken, dysfunctional board to tell us what is best for the arts and creative workforce in this county?”
Fred Bidwell, chairman of Assembly for Action, which will lead fundraising for the renewal campaign, has misgivings as well. “It is difficult to build support for a ballot campaign, which is an expensive proposition and requires broad support from the community, where there are transparency issues,” he said. “The community never had a chance to see the funding options brought up in the meeting, particularly any of the direct stakeholders…” Read more from CoolCleveland arts reporter Bruce Checefsky.
Ever since Nighttown in Cleveland Heights closed three years ago after more than 50 years in business, patrons of the dinner spot/jazz club have been hearing about the ongoing renovations and waiting eagerly for word of its reopening. Now it’s got a date: early November. But music isn’t coming back quite yet. We’re promised it will be back eventually, though. Read more.
It’s Saturday the 28th, right before Halloween 2023. You’ve got a great costume, but you’re a bit anxious, everyone’s looking creepy, and your friends just want to have some fun. You all head down to the BOP STOP, and first the Ghostbusters Cleveland paranormal elimination team (and their cool MINI Ectomobile) scans everyone for ghosts.As you enter, DJ Death has the dancefloor packed with groovy tunes. You enter the costume contest with a good chance of winning. A couple of pet charities are receiving donations tonight. Animatronic werewolves and clowns are freaking you out a bit, but finally Vanity Crash hits the stage, and all seems right in the world. Be a part of this epic party. Read more.
TUE 10/10 Critical Deadline Today is the last day to register to vote November 7; early voting starts tomorrow. Do it if you want a say in whether Ohio women get to have full human rights,
WED 10/11 Shredding Obstacles Guitarist Bombino learned to play from Jimi Hendrix tapes as a nomad and refugee in his native Niger, as well as Algeria, Libya and Burkino Faso. He’s now made three albums & snagged a Grammy nomination. He’s at the Cleveland Museum of Art tonight.
Depending on your politics, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who is currently enjoying her fifteen minutes of fame, is either a brave and courageous woman who finally admitted the truth about the inner workings of the Trump White House or an ingrate in league with the likes of Liz Cheney, who lied to Congress to besmirch the reputation of former President Trump and his allies.
In her revealing memoir, Enough, Hutchinson attempts to make the case that she is a hero. The final analysis will likely depend on the politics of the reader. For all those who have been living in a cave for the last several months, Hutchinson is the former White House aide who appeared before a congressional committee last year to reveal the inner workings of the Trump White House, with emphasis on the events of January 6, 2021… Read more from CoolCleveland columnist C. Ellen Connally.
