Environment

03.04-03.11.09
Environment

In this week’s issue:

Cool Cleveland is nothing if not focused on our local environment. You won’t find Hollywood films, a TV guide or celebrity culture in our weekly e-blasts, although this week you’ll find a little of everything. My “greencast” interview with actor and environmental activist Ed Begley, Jr. previews his visit here on 4/3 at the Green Gala. We get you ready for the Shaw Festival and the YMCA’s Women’s Leadership Conference , and a whole email full of cool family, business and citizen events this week. And speaking of television, we’re hosting a Cool Cleveland TV Party on Fri 3/20 at The Beck Center, with 50% OFF if you get yr tix online by Midnight on Friday. If you missed our recent Carnaval event, check out the photos and videos in the Top 5 below. And don’t let that happen again. –Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland TV party in Lakewood
50% OFF regular price until Midnight Fri 3/6 here!

Who invented 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. This riveting show played on Broadway in 2008 and was written by Aaron Sorkin, the creator and writer of The West Wing. It’s about the teenaged Philo Farnsworth, who invented the TV, and was offered $100K by RCA’s David Sarnoff, which he turned down. We’re changing the channel with a pre-show networking party for only $15, giving you 50% OFF when you order tix online here before Midnight Fri 3/6. Map & info here.

Come and enjoy all this:

• A ticket to Beck Center’s production of the critically acclaimed The Farnsworth Invention by Aaron Sorkin ($31 value) at 8PM
• Selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres from the new 56 West bistro, starting at 5:30PM
• 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
• Coffee, tea and pastries from Beck Cafe, just off the Beck’s lobby
• Showcases of performances by young artists from the Beck Center’s Education and Creative Arts Therapies program

Turn off your TV and come out for a night of camaraderie with other cool Clevelanders, hors d’oeuvres, art and excellent theatre, all for $15, a full 50% OFF. But do it quickly, the price goes up Midnight Fri 3/6.
https://coolcleveland.net/tickets/032009

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HOT A 48 Hour Video Challenge! Just like northern sister the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Akron Independent Film Festival is gearing up for their April launch. Right now, the festival’s organizers are accepting registrations for their Fri 3/13 – Sun 3/15 event! The 48 Hour Video Challenge starts with an orientation at the University of Akron’s Folk Hall; organizers provide prompts, genre and dialogue for each team. At the conclusion of the meeting, each team has 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and get their “finished” projects on a DVD, VHS, or MiniDV. Teams may go anywhere to get this done! Finished projects (10 minutes or less) are due at 7PM on Sun 3/15, with great prizes and a screening during the festival for the best entry. Learn more and register here.

HOT Cle Orchestra partners w/ Cle Foodbank in Orchestras Feeding America. National Food Drive inspired by the upcoming film The Soloist. Learn more
HOT Iconic Cle guitar man Glenn Schwartz retires after… his van breaks down? End of an era
HOT It’s Legends Weekend at Ray’s MTB Indoor Park and you’re invited to meet biking legends Hans Rey, Dave Mirra, Nat Ross, Aaron Chase, Jeff Lenosky, and Kyle Ebbett. Go to Ray’s!!
GREEN NEO Environmental Justice Town Hall Meeting is part of the CSU Levin College Forum program. Check it out Saturday. Click
Cool Cleveland Managing Editor and author Peter Chakerian turns up on Time Warner Cable’s Made Here program, re: Gray & Company, Publishers. Watch
This weekend’s KIMONOFest events in Canton are hot! We’ll be giving you the scoop on the exhibition in a week or two; in the meantime, ya gotta click here
Believe in the Arts? Hip to Canton First Fridays? The answer should be yes to both. Click
HOT Community Meeting on E. 12th Street Crime being held at Old Stone Church TODAY Wed 3/4 at 6PM. Councilman Joe Cimperman among speakers
Wanna know PlayhouseSquare’s story? You might want to surf here
Cle City Council passes foreclosure moratorium and the details are here
Annie Peebles recently opened an online cooking show which helps families come together around the dinner table. It’s also a resource for parents w/food allergic kids. Cool local web show
UA JazzFest 2009 features Diane Schuur, Adam Rogers and many others. Details are here
NYC’s Black 47 hits Beachland Ballroom on St. Pat’s Tour See legends who paved way for Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, etc. Erin Go Bragh!
Here’s an interesting blog link on a New Cleveland Very astute info here. Click

The Human Figure Cleveland (& CoolCleveland.com) photog Herb Ascherman, Jr. has just been awarded the Human Figure Award of 2009 in the Firelands Association of Visual Arts annual exhibition in Oberlin, Ohio, for a black & white image he created of young girls of the Kadar tribe taken in Kerala, Southern India in 2006 [pictured]. See a larger image of the photo here

HELP Cleveland: 69% illiteracy rate Got your attention? In 2007, Cle also ranked 2nd nationwide in poverty (US Census Bureau) and there’s a connection between the two. The local NPO Seeds of Literacy offers no cost, one-on-one tutoring in basic adult education and GED preparation and needs volunteers. They need you, and Cleveland does, too. Call 661-7950 or visit http://www.SeedsOfLiteracy.org.

Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens If you’re not familiar with the site highlighting this cool stretch along MLK, Jr. Blvd., it’s worth checking out. We’ll be profiling a proposed new addition — the Armenian Cultural Garden — as well as the other well-established gardens in a coming issue of Cool Cleveland. Meanwhile, pull the kids over to the laptop, surf around and figure out which ones you plan to visit this summer. http://www.CulturalGardens.org.

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.

SPONSORED: A Gripping Thriller: Crime and Punishment is now playing at the Cleveland Play House in the Drury Theatre through Sun 3/22. Based on the masterpiece novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, this award-winning adaptation is a gripping 90-minute thriller, it’s a psychological journey into the mind of a brilliant but desperate young man whose struggle against poverty drives him to the ultimate crime of passion. For more info go to clevelandplayhouse.com/se-0809.asp

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The Old Stone Church
Cleveland History Comes Alive

The Old Stone Church looks small sandwiched between taller buildings on Public Square. It is the oldest structure on Public Square, the only remaining building which existed during the lighting of Public Square with Brush’s arc light in 1879, but it had a congregation as early as 1820. The church was built in 1855, and renovated and rededicated in 1858 after a fire in 1857. It was rebuilt and restored after a second fire in 1884, and is the church as it is seen today.

The church is gray sandstone again after a good cleaning in 1998 — many of us will remember that it was once blackened by years of pollution. To me, the Old Stone Church is a symbol of resolve in a culture that has grown in stature but not in faith. Or maybe our faith has just changed.

One can stop in front of the Old Stone Church and contemplate Cleveland as it was in 1857. Residential development had begun around the square in the 1820s; old pictures and maps show a public space in a rural town, where dirt roads intersected and horses drew carriages. When the church was built, it looked out over a tree-filled square, which was surrounded by a thriving commercial district by 1870. The church has been there for the passing of President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral bier in 1865 and the lighting of America’s first streetlamps in 1879. Residential living was ousted by commercial development by the end of the 19th century…

Read more from Claudia J. Taller here

HOT STEP AFRIKA! showcases the “art of stepping” Fri 3/6 at 7PM at PlayhouseSquare’s Allen Theatre. This is the first professional company in the world dedicated to stepping, an art form as rich as its African roots. This highly interactive performance highlights the rhythm, physicality and history of stepping while introducing the concepts of teamwork, discipline and commitment. Call 241-6000 or snag tix online at http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org.

HOT Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra will perform its second Severance Hall concert of the 2008-09 season on Sun 3/8 at 3PM. Music Director Jayce Ogren will begin the performance with Igor Stravinsky’s Scherzo à la russe, followed by Brahms’s Schicksalslied (a.k.a. Song of Destiny), Opus 54, for which the Youth Orchestra will be joined by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

Coyote Tales The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad tells ’em on Sun 3/8 Hop aboard the train for some cool stories and enjoy a trip traveling through the Cuyahoga Valley as well! What more could a cool kiddo want? Check out the details at http://www.CVSR.com or call 330-657-2000.

Safari Adventure This “Kids-Only” Workshop at the The Children’s Museum of Cleveland hits Sun 3/8 starting at 12:30PM. It’s a jungle out there… and it’s a jungle at the Museum’s “Safari Adventure Kids Only Workshop” as well. Get your kids’ exploring itches scratched! http://www.ClevelandChildrensMuseum.org or call 791-7114.

Babes in Nature The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes welcomes kiddos Tue 3/10 at 10AM, offering even the youngest learners (2 months through 2 years) an opportunity at exploring the natural world. Bring your stroller and get ready to roll into an adventure of the great outdoors! http://www.ShakerLakes.org or call 321-5935 for details.

Willy Wonka, Jr. Willoughby’s Fine Arts Association offers this production in March (selected dates), complete with the Oompa Loompas! Based on the book Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, families will enjoy this musical on stage through mid-March. Schedule, tickets and info at http://www.FineArtsAssociation.org or call 440-951-7500.

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.

SPONSORED: How Will You Choose? There will be two great events at the Cleveland Public Library on Sat 3/7 at 2PM. On one hand, there’s Pianist Javier Gonzalez and Vocalist Gabriela Martinez (in the Fine Arts Department). But, at the same time you can also witness A Staged Reading of Sean Christopher Lewis’s new play, The Aperture, (showing in the Literature Department). Both will be featured at the Cleveland Public Library . . . but how ever will you choose? More info about CPL’s programs and events here: www.cpl.org.

Listen to our exclusive Cool Cleveland interview with Ed Begley, Jr. Hollywood’s original environmental actor/activist- he bought his first electric car in 1970- and now wins awards for his eco activism, not to mention his six Emmy nominations for St. Elsewhere. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready spoke on the phone with him from his Studio City, California home, which is almost completely solar- and wind-powered- he pays only $300 per year for all his household electric, and that includes charging his car!

Ed will be in Cleveland on Fri 4/3 at 7PM at Executive Caterers, for Earth Watch Ohio’s first-ever Green Gala, co-sponsored by CoolCleveland.com, for which he is the keynote speaker. He’ll speak about his Home and Garden network show, Living With Ed, his recent book, Living Like Ed, and his experiences in applying eco principles to everyday living. He’ll sign his books, and guests will enjoy dinner, drinks, a silent auction and music by Carlos Jones and the PLUS band. Listen to the podcast by clicking here, and reserve your tix to the Green Gala here: http://www.EarthWatchOhio.org 216-387-1609

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

Christopher Kennedy, pres of MMPI frustrated at slowness of Med Mart progress, political process here. Click
Grammy-winning Telarc to stop producing its own recordings Cutting jobs as well. Bad news
World Class Customer Service Awards call for nominations is out and you’re encouraged to submit your favorites here

HOT Michael DeAloia is a Marshall Fellow The Senior Director of Business Development for local biztech group FIT Technologies is off to Europe as one of 53 American Marshall Memorial Fellows for 2009. James DeRosa and Francis Valencheck of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority were also selected. Congrats!

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, and read Susan Schaul’s feature in this week’s CC (see below).

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 Fri 3/13 as space is limited.

Cleveland’s Loss is the World’s Gain Cleveland should be more welcoming to immigrant entrepreneurs, as it once was when the industrial revolution was rocking our town. A new Kauffman Foundation report notes that most skilled immigrants have Masters and PhDs and return to India & China, with family considerations being top on their list. 50-56% of those returning planned to start a business in the next five years. However, as the New York Times reports, recent bank bailout legislation actually discourages banks from hiring skilled foreigners on work visas. Since immigrants became CEOs or CTOs of a quarter of every tech & engineering company started in the US since 1995 (and fully 52% of Silicon Valley startups), we could use them here in Cleveland.

2009 Connectors Choice Awards Celebration recognizes the best of the best in the corporate event and networking industries in NEO Wed 3/4 at House of Blues. Click
This month’s Midtown Brews focuses on tech leaders guiding regional economic development Check it out Thu 3/5 and learn how their interactive Web and deep training in info org and architecture help. Details
Be your own marketing agent features Valeri Furst of Furst Communications Thu 3/5 at 7:30AM. YWCA Women’s Center, 4019 Prospect Ave. Register
Lunch & Learn Series: Where is E-Mail Marketing Headed? Find out at this eye-opener luncheon Tue 3/10. Phil Johnston, Sr. VP Planning and Product Development at Marcus Thomas, LLC speaks. Register
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
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

YWCA Women’s Leadership Conference
Engendering Strategy, Communication, Political Savvy For Workplace Advancement

“Why on earth would he say that?” “I don’t believe she actually made that decision.” “If I were the director, I would have done that differently.” Have you ever had these exchanges with colleagues at the workplace? Of course; we all have been privy to these conversations in one form or another. But in these strained economic times, it has become critically important for current and potential business leaders to learn the strategies and tools to make better choices.

Leadership decisions of women and men in the workplace will be the focus of attention at the upcoming YWCA Women’s Leadership Conference on Wed 3/11 (though registration ends this week!) at the Crowne Plaza City Center downtown. This fascinating one-day seminar, packed with national keynote speakers and area leadership panelists, promises to provide valuable information about gender communication styles and how to reach the next rung up on the leadership ladder…
Read more from Susan Schaul here

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Ivan Schwartz The Executive Director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission speaks at the City Club for their “Dialogues on Leadership” program Wed 3/4 at 8AM. Schwarz served as the location manager for the HBO series “Entourage,” co-produced Band of Brothers — the critically acclaimed HBO mini-series — and has credits as location manager on the My Name is Earl, From the Earth to the Moon, and The Comeback as well as other television series and movies. Learn about how he’s bringing Hollywood to Cleveland. http://www.cityclub.org.

The Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory Jazz Ensemble directed by Greg Banaszak, will present a no cost concert on Wed 3/4 at 8PM. Full of toe-tapping rhythms, the program features music by J.J. Johnson, Charles Chaplin, Steve Davis, Charlie Mingus and more. It will be held in the Kulas Musical Arts Building, 96 Front St., Berea. 1995 B-W alum Chris Anderson (trombone) and guest trombonist/composer Steve Davis join the group. Call 440-826-2322 for details.

Cleveland painter Paula Rubinstein exhibits her work at The Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Ave. starting Wed 3/4 and through early April as a part of their ongoing “Artist of the Month” series. The daughter of an artist, Rubinstein has been influenced by and inspired to produce art since childhood. The Ohio State University grad is a medical illustrator; after gainful employment at Pfizer Labs, she went on to start the Department of Medical Art at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. Rubinstein’s work graces private and corporate collections; she exhibits in Massachusetts, New York, and across Ohio. http://www.Bonfoey.com.

HOT Philipp Meyer Joseph-Beth Booksellers hosts the author Thu 3/5 at 7PM. Meyer’s American Rust is set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town and is a novel about the lost American dream and the desperation — as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love — that arise from its loss. From local bars to trainyards to prison, it is the story of two young men, bound to the town by family, responsibility, inertia, and the beauty around them, who dream of a future beyond the factories and abandoned homes. http://www.JosephBeth.com.

HOT The Business of Entertainment Screen Actors Guild President and CWRU theater alumnus Alan Rosenberg (ADL ’72) returns to the university Thu 3/5 for a no-cost public lecture. The actor, whose screen credits include L.A. Law, Cybill and The Guardian, will appear on campus at noon to talk about The Business of Entertainment at the Mandel Center for Non-Profit Organizations’ Room #112. Rosenberg is in town to guest direct Autobahn at the Cleveland Play House. Details on Facebook!

Virtuoso Fire Apollo’s Fire offers their latest programming with concerts across the NEO area starting Thu 3/5. The “Cleveland Baroque Orchestra” offers performances in Fairlawn, Cleveland Heights and Rocky River and will feature Grammy award-winning oboist Alex Klein in a program of Italian concertos by Vivaldi and his rivals. Call 320-0012 or visit http://www.ApollosFire.org for more info.

HOT International Women’s Day On Thu 3/5 from 5:30 – 8:30PM, fair trade retailers at Trinity Commons, Ten Thousand Villages and Sacred Path Books and Art will join forces with Cleveland State University’s Departments of International Student Services and Women’s Studies to offer this celebration of women across the globe. Dr. Elizabeth Balraj, born and raised in Chennai, India and one of America’s first and only female county coroners (right here in Cleveland!), will be celebrated and offers a keynote at 6:30PM. Balraj was instrumental in the building of a new coroner’s HQ in Cle and in upgrades in DNA and trace evidence research. Details at http://Cleveland.TenThousandVillages.com.

HOT Rx This bela dubby art show to benefit the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland features a themed collection of new works by NYC artist Christopher Sweiger. Several years ago, Sweiger tested HIV-positive and began treatment. He began to conceptualize a series of works that would chronicle his first year of treatment; the show promises nothing less than his creative and emotional response to surrendering his health to a pharmaceutical industry. All the pieces are presented in a mixed-media format with pharma-related imagery. The bela dubby exhibition remains all month; celebrate the opening Fri 3/6 from 6PM – midnight. 13321 Madison Ave., Lakewood. Call 221-4479 or visit http://www.MySpace.com/beladubby and http://www.AIDSTaskforce.org.

HOT Hunt & Gather Artchitecture Gallery showcases an exhibition by Leon “Tes One” Bedore starting Fri 3/6 with an opening reception from 7 – 10PM. Combining traditional and non-traditional techniques, Leon “Tes One” Bedore creates contemporary works of art that contrast nature with technology, grime with grace. Allowing himself to find beauty in the mundane, he is able to juxtapose rejected landscapes with figurative illustrations, all the while identifying what is common between the conversing elements. Exhbition on view through early April. Artchitecture Gallery, 1667 East 40th St., Unit 1A. More info at http://www.ArtchitectureGallery.com.

Japan’s Greatest Living Filmmaker Eighteen films by Nagisa Oshima, Japan’s greatest living filmmaker, will show between Fri 3/6 and late April at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, 11141 East Blvd., University Circle. A whopping 15 of the movies will be shown in newly-struck 35mm film prints made expressly for this touring retrospective. Call 421-7450 or visit http://www.cia.edu/cinematheque for a complete schedule of films and showtimes.

Jim Rokakis, Cuyahoga County Treasurer will discuss President Obama’s new stimulus package as it relates to the home ownership/foreclosure crisis and will point out areas that need additional support… but are not likely to get it under the current plan. Hear Rokakis Fri 3/6 at noon at the City Club of Cleveland. http://www.CityClub.org.

Alpine Climber Kitty Calhoun will appear as a lecturer in Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Lyceum Series Fri 3/6 at 7PM. CVNP brings Calhoun in as a part of a lecture series featuring national speakers who “stimulate the heart and mind” with compelling stories on the natural and cultural worlds. Calhoun’s experience includes a stint as guide with the American Alpine Institute — guiding clients in South America — and a decade of epic ascents and attempts of peaks in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Happy Days Lodge. Call 330-657-2909 or visit http://www.CNVPA.org.

HOT Cle native and Baldwin-Wallace graduate Khashyar Darvich returns from sold-out screenings at The Cleveland Museum of Art in January to introduce and take an audience Q&A after the screening of his film, Dalai Lama Renaissance at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque Sat 3/7 and Sun 3/8. A few years ago, the Dalai Lama invited 40 of the West’s most innovative thinkers (from scientists to theologians) to come to his Himalayan compound and brainstorm solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. What happened was surprising. http://www.CIA.edu/Cinematheque.

HOT Legends Weekend Meet, ride and hang out with some of biking true legends like Dave Mirra, Hans Rey, Nat Ross, Aaron Chase, Jeff Lenosky, and Kyle Ebbett, at the incredible Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park (see unbelievable CC helmet-cam video here). Tell Ray that Cool Cleveland said “Hi!” http://www.RaysMTB.com

Mike DeCapite and L.E. Leone The authors of Through the Windshield and Ruined for Life! and Big Bend (respectively) will read at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry (1820 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights) on Sat 3/7 at 7PM. The event is no cost, open to the public. DeCapite is a native Clevelander now in NYC; Leone is a popular, gender-bending weekly columnist for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. http://www.MacsBacks.com.

HOT The Aperture Cleveland Public Library hosts a staged reading of Sean Christopher Lewis’s new play Sat 3/7 at 2PM in the Literature Dept., 2nd floor, Main Library, 325 Superior Ave. The Aperture world premieres at Cleveland Public Theatre Fri 3/13; the production will run through late March featuring two actors playing six different parts. Lewis will be on hand to discuss his play, as will Craig J. George (production director) and Raymond Bobgan (A.D., Cleveland Public Theatre). The play deals with the themes of global turbulence, violence and race. No cost, open to the public. Call 623-2881 for more info.

Vixseboxse Print Sale American and European 19th and 20th century prints from Vixseboxse Art Gallery will be up for sale to benefit Heights Arts starting Sat 3/7 and running through mid-April. Engravings, etchings, color lithographs, mezzotints, Nast and Homer wood block engravings from Harper’s Weekly, and more. Subjects include botanicals, birds, civil war, hunting, lawyers, maps, Appleton, Cadart and more. Heights Arts Gallery 2173 Lee Rd., Cle Hts. Call 371-3457 for more info. A members-only preview happens the previous night. http://www.HeightsArts.org/JoinUs.

HELP Soup for the Soul St. Malachi Center’s 9th annual benefit will be held on Sat 3/7 at 6PM at St. Ignatius High School Atrium, 1911 W. 30th St. Warm up with some tasty soups by Cle-area restaurants including Blue Point Grille, Crop Bistro, Dante, Fat Fish Blue, The Harp, Johnny Mango, Market Cafe and Wine Bar, Sokolowski’s University Inn, and many more. And that says nothing of the stellar guest list and silent auction they offer up every year. Check it all out! http://www.StMalachiCenter.org.

Cleveland Pops on Rodgers & Hammerstein This stellar tribute to the greatest team of American Musical Theater creators hits Sat 3/7 at 7:30PM. The Cle Pops orchestra is joined by Broadway singers Marc Kudisch, Lisa Vroman and Hugh Panaro, along with an international cast of superstars, local favorites the North Coast Men’s Chorus and The Beck Center for the Arts’ Children’s Choir!!! All on one stage!!! The legendary composer and lyricist combo’s hits from The Sound of Music, The King and I, Carousel, South Pacific, Oklahoma and more! http://www.ClevelandPops.com.

SPONSORED: This Saturday, 3/7, at 8PM, WCLV 104.9 FM is live from Miami’s Knight Concert Hall for The Cleveland Orchestra’s second concert as part of the annual Miami residency. Legendary conductor Kurt Masur leads the band in an all-Beethoven concert including the “Leonore” Overture No. 3, the Piano Concerto No. 1 with Louie Lortie as soloist, and the Seventh Symphony. Complete details on all of WCLV’s classical music programming available at http://www.WCLV.com.

Grey Gardens “What happens when American royalty falls?” Beck Center offers the Cle premiere of this three-time Tony Award-winning musical in their Studio Theater Sun 3/8 at 3PM (repeating in a weekend schedule carrying through late March). Based on the 1975 cult-documentary, this hilarious story of Jackie Kennedy’s delightfully eccentric aunt and cousin, Edith Bouvier Beale and her adult daughter “Little” Edie. Written by Doug Wright, with music by Cle native Scott Frankel. http://www.BeckCenter.org.

Aswat: The Golden Age of Arab Music The Cleveland Museum of Art’s VIVA! & Gala Around Town series presents this traditional 15-piece Arab orchestra and singers Sun 3/8 at 7:30PM at PlayhouseSquare. Leading Arab composer Simon Shaheen leads “ASWAT” (translated: “Voices”) [pictured] in a “fascinating exploration” of the golden age of Arab music. Singers Um Kulthoum, Mohammad Abdel and others are recognized in the program, which includes multimedia and vintage film footage. http://www.ClevelandArt.org.

Cabin Fever Reliever Exhibit The Log Cabin Gallery in Peninsula is running an inventory reduction sale with a bevy of artists offering everything from mixed media, glass, ceramics to quilted works and wearable art. A preview of new works by over a dozen artists is included Sun 3/8 from 11AM – 5PM (continuing the following weekend Fri 3/13 – Sun 3/15 during those same hours. Seeing is believing. The Log Cabin Gallery 1671 Main Street (Route 303 – in back up North Canal) Peninsula. Call 330-657-2670 or visit http://www.TheLogCabinGallery.com.

Militant Language This Bang and the Clatter stage production runs through late March, with a perfect matinee on Sun 3/8 at 2PM at BNC’s Sometimes In The Silence…(stage), 224 Euclid Ave. This an anti-war drama is directed by Daniel Taylor and focuses on American soldiers working at a construction site in Iraq in the midst of wartime strife. Further drama unfolds when a 16-year-old native goes missing, and another man is taken hostage. “Pay As You Can” reservations are an option. Call 330-606-5317 or visit http://www.BNCTheatre.com.

Intelligence Begins at Infancy This installment of Science Cafe focuses on information processing ability — how we know it, and what difference it makes. With guest speakers Dr. Joseph Fagan (Dept. of Psychology, CWRU) and Dr. Cindy Holland (Dept. of Psychology, Tri-C) the lively dialogue starts Mon 3/9 at 7:30PM (drinks start an hour prior). Selective attention to novelty during infancy allegedly predicts later IQ — disproving the Jean Piaget theory that intelligence changes with age. Great Lakes Brewing Company Tasting Room. 2701 Carroll Ave. Visit here or call 368-8605.

Neil Hamburger has been called “the most comical comedian alive.” He’s performing at Grog Shop Tue 3/10 and by all accounts, he’s sounds like quite a kooky trip. Born Gregg Turkington, he’s collaborated with Tom Green, Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, Buzz Osborne of The Melvins, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. In the spring of 2008, he released an album of country and western originals and covers recorded in “celebrity vocals” style and backed by members of Todd Rundgren’s band. Details at http://www.grogshop.gs.

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.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

I’m Ready for Change, but With Real Trust

There is little doubt that Cuyahoga County government could stand some changes that would lead to improved efficacy. There is just as little doubt that it won’t happen until and unless Blacks buy into the proposed changes. But for that buy-in to take place there has to be a degree of trust built up between Blacks and the power structure, just as there has been trust built up between the Democrats and Republicans who have joined forces and are currently sending up trial balloons to see if the winds of change are indeed ready to blow across the mighty Cuyahoga.

There’s a feeling extant that some elder statesmen in the Black community are not buying into the change notion, and will actively work to obstruct what the proponents of said change call “progress.” The question in their minds is, will it be progress for everyone? These Black elders have seen so many promises made to their community, and quickly (or slowly) broken over the years, that it’s indeed difficult not to pay heed to their cautions and skepticisms…

Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

“Cleveland can look to Youngstown…” says Ed Morrison, “where the city has developed an international reputation for confronting reality and finding opportunity. In regional economic development, demography defines your trajectory. The Greater Cleveland Partnership, some years ago, published a strategy named Cleveland on the Edge. But edge of what?”

Read and add your comment on the BFD post Does Cleveland have a sensible plan to shrink?

Shaw Festival, eh?
Visit lovely Canadian hosts, see some great theatre!

Spring is almost here… summer will eventually come, and the dollar exchange rate again favors US citizens. It’s time to think Shaw Festival! Conducted in three theatres in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the Shaw Festival is an easy four-hour trip from Cleveland. Once you arrive, you will be entranced by the most beautiful city in Canada. Lovely flowers, classical home architecture and inviting well-stocked shops and galleries make for an inviting experience.

This season’s theatre offerings include Noel Coward’s Brief Encounters, Star Chamber, Play Orchestra Play, and Ways of the Heart; Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, and works by Garson Kanin, George Bernard Shaw, John Osborne, James Lapine and more. Besides the plays themselves, the Festival includes a reading series, Sunday coffee concerts, a Village Fair and Fete, seminars, backstage tours and pre-show chats…

Read more from Roy Berko here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

We all know the challenges of urban schools districts, yet in spite of them graduates of the CMSD go on to stellar achievements.
Where else but CLE could you jam all this into one evening?
Will Northeast Ohio be the nation’s home of leading sustainable businesses?
Anyone out there want to share their thoughts about the future of Edgewater with a potential neighbor?
“What if we become Ohio City, Ohio? Like New York, New York.”

Velvet Tango
Harry Bacharach
Hard Poor Corn Productions

His work has been called “Heavy Easy Listening” and if you’ve ever heard the loungy jazz styles of pianist Harry Bacharach (nee Ari Friedman) the odds are you’d come up with the very same words. Bacharach is “[a] Jewish baker with soul” according to online reviewer “Minnesota Fatty”; to wit, Bacharach, who’s known to have a a day job at the On the Rise Bakery in Cleveland Heights, really let’s his inner hep cat-ness hang out at night. Bacharach swoons, swings and smolders in all the right spots on Velvet Tango — a 10-track CD named as a nod to one of his regular gigs at the Velvet Tango Room speakeasy. It’s a well-arranged, full-band throwback to a bygone era… one that will have you looking for a martini, a dugan, a pair of spekkies, flapper fashions or something with a velvet collar.

Bacharach’s neo-Cotton Club sound on Velvet Tango is bolstered by a venerable who’s-who of local jazz musicians (trumpeter Josh Rzepka and drummers Jamey Haddad and Roy King among them). From the captivating opening of “Careful With Those Blues, Eugene” to the muted trumpet of “Philandering Fool,” it’s hard not to feel those 1920s and 30s vibes permeating your soul. The bluesy cha-cha underpinnings of “Blue Pajamas,” “Get the Feeling” and “The Slide” are among the remaining highlights, but the whole disc is great — a smooth timewarp to a simpler time. I have no idea if Friedman named himself after Atlantic City’s former mayor, his great uncle Burt, or the urgent need for depilatory cream. What I do know, is this guy will make you want to sell everything you own and become a jazz musician… just because.

We’ll settle for the swanky vintage cocktails and his regular live dates at the Velvet Tango Room — Mondays at 8PM, Thursdays at 9PM — where you’re likely to hear most of this record in its entirety alongside clever covers of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and Tom Waits. Visit the nationally-renowned Velvet Tango Room at http://www.VelvetTangoRoom.com. Check out Bacharach and hear samples of his work at http://www.MySpace.com/HarryBacharach.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

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

Flash Forward @ SPACES Gallery 2/13 SPACES’ Flash Forward exhibition has bright spots but fails as curatorial project. Today’s gallery climate and world economy have forced many commercial galleries into compromising core-values in order sustain operations; selling T-shirts, postcards and advertising the all too common “international art competition” — where artist’s pay a small entry fee (usually $30- $40) in hopes to gain some glimpse of exposure in a commercial art gallery setting as well as pump-up their exhibition resume…
Read more from W.H. Bonney here

Ballet Hispanico @ PlayhouseSquare 2/20 Dancing before three sold-out performance audiences, Ballet Hispanico — whose appearance was co-sponsored by DanceCleveland and Cuyahoga Community College — presented a mixed-bag program. Pieces varied from traditional Hispanic dance, including the mambo, cha cha cha, bolero, rhumba and conga, to modern and contemporary pieces…
Read more from Roy Berko here

Christopher Pekoc: Night Visions 1975-2000 @ Tregoning & Company 2/21 Bringing his early life experience of growing up in a family that owned hardware stores – with its multitude of drawers, cabinets and shelves full of pieces and parts – Pekoc developed an appreciation for assembling a collection of seemingly unrelated visual bits into his paintings and collages…
Read more from Carol Drummond here

Opera Double Bill @ Cleveland Institute of Music 2/25 Opera doesn’t necessarily have to make sense in order to be enjoyable. In fact it rarely does, but then, one seldom goes to the opera for that purpose only. One hopes for great music, gorgeous singing, and as a lesser expectation, appropriate costumes and stage settings…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/26 The music composed by Leos Janacek is readily identifiable to most listeners by his usual stop-and-start methodology. He was fond of using works of literature for inspiration, as in the opening number of last week’s concert by the Cleveland Orchestra — Gogol’s Taras Bulba…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Grey Gardens @ Beck Center 2/27 Grey Gardens proves that with the right talent, a musical may be made of anything. In this case, it’s the story of Jackie O’s poor little rich girl relatives who can’t take care of themselves once their money runs out…
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

Cleveland Jazz Orchestra @ Fairmount Temple Auditorium 2/28 On a sort of irregular regular basis, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra devotes the better part of a program to remembering a jazz forefather or pioneer. When possible, the person so honored is present and part of the program. At other times, they rely on memories and the music. That was the case on Saturday evening at Fairmount Temple when the music of Duke Pearson was in the spotlight…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Spring Awakening @ Palace Theatre 3/3 Finally, you say to yourself so many times through this production. Finally the band, which is so integral to the soul of any great musical, is right on the stage. You can watch the drummer pounding out the heavy rhythm, soar along with the spare strings. The arrangements, directed on stage by Shaker Heights native keyboardist Jared Stein, are clever and tasteful, but never lame. This is punk rock stomping emotional rip-your head-off music necessary to express adolescent angst…
Read more from Thomas Mulready here

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Cool Cleveland fans Keep up your great promoting of Cleveland, the best location in the nation!
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Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Cool Cleveland Carnaval. We partied. Maybe you missed it. Gotta Love the photos.
View the photos here. Watch the video here

2) Doesn’t Have A Damn Thing To Do With God Mansfield Frazier profiles Cle police officer James Simone.
CoolCleveland.com

3) Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week 2009 Can’t wait for the next Restaurant Week!
DowntownClevelandAlliance.com.

4) 75 Things to Love About Cleveland This is what Cool Cleveland readers want. So here it is. Again.
PositivelyCleveland.com

5) Chicago doesn’t have this Quote: “Chicago can never seriously consider itself a world-class food city until it builds a market like this.”
ChicagoReader.com

Shrewdly Informed You are when you get your weekly dose of the Hard Corps. They’re serious about the city, crazy about all it has to offer and uncannily yours. Nods and winks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Claudia J. Taller, Mansfield B. Frazier, Linda Eisenstein, Roy Berko, Kelly Ferjutz, Laura Kennelly, Carol Drummond, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Susan Schaul and introducing W.H. Bonney. This episode was brought to you by “Mister Auger” and the blue ink. 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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–Thomas Mulready
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