03.21-03.28.18
Not Neutral
We didn’t call this thing CoolCleveland sixteen years ago because we were nonchalant about our region. We believed this place was cool, but for some reason(s), the word wasn’t getting out. Well, that has changed.Nate Puppets knows this, and CoolCleveland correspondent Nicole Hennessy offers her profile as he prepares for World Day of Puppetry this Saturday. The North Coast Men’s Chorus starting shaking things up 30 years ago and never stopped, and now they’re bringing in Maureen McGovern to celebrate.
Indie bookstores have come and gone, and some, like Visible Voice, have come back. CoolCleveland correspondent Claudia Taller offers praise for this resurrected community literary gathering place that refuses to go quietly. Dan Bruce’s :beta collective challenges audience, and CoolCleveland video correspondent Stephan Haluska got the interview this week before Bruce’s gigs at Akron’s BluJazz+ and Cleveland’s BOP STOP.
Avon Lake High School junior Ally Yellets is more engaged in her community than most adults, and she offers her report on helping organize her school during last week’s National School Walkout. We would do well to listen. And if it’s good music you want to listen to, we won’t equivocate: my talk this Thursday on the history and context of the Revolver album fits nicely between 1964 The Tribute and the Baldwin Wallace students’ live performance of that classic album during the BW Beatles Festival. Our passion is not neutral. –Thomas Mulready
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The North Coast Men’s Chorus turns 30 this year and things have changed a lot in that time. Many gay men no longer feel they have to stay in the closet, so the size of the group has exploded as more come out and fearlessly flaunt their talents on stage.
The group will be celebrating this weekend with two events: a gala benefit at Windows on the River Fri 3/23 and a concert with pop vocalist Maureen McGovern at Playhouse Square Sat 3/24.
SPONSORED: The Voyage of the Blossom Sailing for science! Set a course for adventure in this Museum-created exhibit celebrating the fabled voyage of the Blossom. Explore tales of mutiny, adventure and discovery as you experience the expedition that built the Museum’s collections nearly a century ago. Sat 3/24 through Sun 8/5. Details.
“Rickety Rat’s highlighter-green fur and wild eyes are muted in the candle light of Coventry’s La Cave Du Vin,” writer Nicole Hennessy tells us, setting the scene. “Cleveland isn’t a plum and it’s not Paris. Rickety says these t-shirt-ready slogans are ridiculous. This is Rickety’s city – as it was Ghoulardi’s and Harvey Pekar’s.”
Who is Rickety Rat? He’s a product of a Coventry Road denizen who calls himself Nate Puppets. Join Nicole as she unspools his intriguing story, a tale which intersects with local legends such as Harvey Pekar and Steve Presser.
Experience Cleveland’s premier riverfront dining at Merwin’s Wharf, located in the East Bank of the Flats in Cleveland Metroparks Rivergate Park. A full-service restaurant featuring an expensive outdoor patio overlooks the scenic Cuyahoga River at Irishtown Bend.
Merwin’s Wharf is the perfect place for family and friends to relax, gather and indulge in delicious cuisine. Enjoy a seasonally inspired menu – plus a few staple items, including the big pretzel served with house-made mustard and beer cheese.
Enjoy a beautiful setting at this unique location, explore nearby trail connections, and watch giant freighters, tug boats and kayaks alike float along Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River. Free parking available.
Tremont’s Visible Voice was more than a bookstore – it was a community and literary gathering place. So when it closed in 2014 it left quite a hole. And its return in a higher profile location last fall was greeted enthusiastically.
Among those enthusiasts is writer Claudia Taller who shares with us a litany of what she loves about this locally owned indie bookstore: “Add in wine, coffee, music, and author readings, and the bookstore became the kind of place I wish I’d been brave enough to create in my own neighborhood.”
Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14th, schools nationwide stood together and used their voices to demand change. The National School Walkout was on March 14th.
Avon Lake High School students met before this date on March 9th with more than 90 attending. We spent weeks prior to our district-wide walkout, selling wristbands and collecting donations for the funeral/memorial costs of the families of the 17 victims in Parkland, Florida.
After weeks of preparation, the day finally arrived. We couldn’t have been more prepared. A handful of students spoke at the gathering. Other students held signs with strong messages on them. I held a sign with the telephone numbers of Ohio representatives and senators. “Call for Change,” it read. I am not a politician, I will not accept money to stay neutral…
Does our Democracy Need Strong Government Ethics? Walter Shaub, who has called for expanding the reach of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics since resigning his post as the federal government’s top ethics watchdog, will present Baldwin Wallace University’s 2018 Spahr Chair Lecture in Ethics on Wed 3/28.
Shaub, who currently serves as senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, will address the current state of government ethics, including conflicts of interest and other challenges to the ethical norms for public service in our democracy. Info
The World Day of Puppetry events taking place at the Cleveland Public Library’s downtown branch should appeal to both children and adults.
There will be performances by several puppet ensembles, workshops and classes, a display of puppets and even a shop where visitors can pick up their own puppets and accessories to start their own neighborhood puppet theater. Sat 3/24.
Click here for more CoolCleveland Kids events
Patricia Dennison is a life-long tea enthusiast who founded Palmer Place Fine Teas to educate people about tea, create blends and distribute teas.She’ll be at Mac’s Backs in Coventry Village to share teas she’s discovered from around the world. Sun 3/25.
Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Eats and Drinks.
“In six months, these girls will have forgotten their names,” said one curmudgeon in 1964 about the Beatles fans. So wrong, Mr. Grumpy! Here in 2018, Baldwin Wallace is hosting its 8th annual Beatles Festival. And the band that kicks it all off on Wed 3/21 calls itself 1964 The Tribute.
CoolCleveland’s John Benson talks with Akron native Mark Benson, who portrays John Lennon in 1964 The Tribute, about the band’s focus on the first seven Beatles albums, culminating with Revolver.
This year’s BW Beatles Festival also includes a program by CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready on the group’s 1966 masterpiece Revolver on Thu 3/22 and culminates with “Revolver in Concert” by the BW students on Sat 3/24, which is sold out.
Dan Bruce’s :beta collective aims to challenge audiences with their specific brand of modern jazz but most importantly Dan Bruce aims to challenge himself as a composer. Bruce counters the relatable melody-driven music filled with composed grooves and harmonies with the unexpected through sections of free improvisation and other musical tricks, walking the line between these contrasting musical worlds.
CoolCleveland’s Stephan Haluska sat down with Bruce to find out more about his music and his upcoming release, Earthshine. Dan Bruce’s :beta collective celebrates the release with performances at Akron’s Blu+ Jazz on Fri 3/23 and Cleveland’s BOP STOP on Sat 3/24. The sextet will also give performances and clinics at KSU and Tri-C.
Burning River Baroque’s next program Suppressed Voices features the work of composers who suffered or were exiled for their beliefs. Wed 3/21-Sat 3/24
Read more picks by Anastasia Pantsios here
Read more of CoolCleveland’s picks for Cool Events.
WED 3/21
Learn the secrets behind the art of creating pop-up books and greeting cards at Loganberry Books with “paper engineer” Keith Allen.
Click here for more events on Wed 3/21
THU 3/22
Sgt Pepper may get more credit, but the Beatles’ previous album Revolver was truly groundbreaking. CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready does a multimedia presentation on the making of that album as part of Baldwin Wallace’s 8th annual Beatles Fesival.
Click here for more events on Thu 3/22
FRI 3/23
A TV game comes to life when Yuzu in Lakewood hosts a late-night Cones of Dunshire gaming session, based on a game invented by a character on the show Parks & Recreation.
Click here for more events on Fri 3/23
SAT 3/24
The Watershed Stewardship Center in Parma celebrates World Water Day with a variety of activities for all ages to make visitors more aware of the important of water in the environment.
Click here for more events on Sat 3/24
SUN 3/25
It’s almost time to start planting that garden. If your thoughts are turning growing, you’ll want to stop by Ohio City’s Room Service today for the Cleveland Seed Bank’s Spring Seed Swap where you can pick up your seeds as well as tips from other gardeners.
Click here for more events on Sun 3/25
MON 3/26
The local comedy scene is in the spotlight as Hilarities at Pickwick and Frolic hosts the first ever Cleveland Comedy Awards to award “Silver Yo-Yos” in a range of categories.
Click here for more events on Mon 3/26
TUE 3/27
Fred Astaire tries to mold chorus girl Judy Garland into a star in the 1948 film Easter Parade, the classic “Kid, I’ll make you a star” plot. It screens at the Cedar Lee today and Sat 3/31.
Click here for more events on Tue 3/27
WED 3/28
The Rocky River Nature Center presents a historical program that connects the popularity of bicycling in the late 19th/early 20th century with the rise of early feminism.
Click here for more events on Wed 3/28
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
The Shaw Festival at Canada’s Niagara-on-the-Lake is a popular getaway for Cleveland theater lovers. Founded in 1962, the festival isn’t strictly devoted to playwright George Bernard Shaw but offers a range of plays that could be said to share his spirit.
Our theater critic Roy Berko gives us a rundown on the dozen plays being presented this year, as well as some of his favorite places to stay and eat. You’ve got plenty of time to go – the festival runs from Wed 4/4-Sun 10/28.
There is a distinct school of thought among some in America that if blacks simply quit talking about racism – real or perceived – so damn much, it would soon disappear on its own accord. Personally I’ve always thought…
* Walking While Black The case involving Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell and the Case Western Reserve University Police Department is interesting on a number of levels…
* Kill My Child Trump’s demagoguery is now turning dangerous. After promising his gullible voter base that he would do something about curbing the opioid epidemic…
Read other stories from Mansfield Frazier here
A look back at the last week
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com
THEATER REVIEW: The Late Henry Moss @ None Too Fragile by Roy Berko
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Neutrality is overrated,
–Thomas Mulready
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