Step back in time and join us for a retro evening at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History! In 1974, Museum curator Dr. Donald Johanson discovered a humanlike fossil in the Afar desert of Ethiopia. Nicknamed Lucy, the fossil was the oldest and most complete hominin skeleton known at the time. At this lively 21+ event, spend a night boogying with friends while discovering how Lucy’s skeleton continues to reveal secrets from our distant past.

Guests will enjoy:  Fun ’70s-themed cocktails * Groovy beats from a disco DJ * Roaming hula hoop light shows by the Tantalizing Tigers performance group * Conversations with Museum scientists and astronomers * Encounters with replicas of Lucy’s fossils * Up-close looks at specimens from the Museum’s paleontology collection * Demonstrations of ancient stone tools * Lucy-themed trivia in Murch Auditorium * ’70s-era attire is encouraged but not required. Register here.

In February, I got a call from my wife Tina as I was pulling up to the house,” writes local artist and CoolCleveland columnist Bruce Checefsky, “She fell down the stairs and was crying. I told her not to move and rushed in to find her sitting on the floor at the bottom of the stairs to our third floor. Tears rolled down her face, and as I moved closer, she was holding her arm in what looked like a twisted, broken elbow.”

Taking her to the hospital, Bruce Checefsky and Tina Cassara were first told she’d be OK. But just three weeks later, she wasn’t. Thus began their nightmare journey through today’s healthcare system in a city noted for its world-class healthcare facilities. Read more.

Tina Cassara, former chair of Cleveland Institute of Arts Sculpture + Expanded Media Department and faculty for almost forty years, has conducted extensive research into women’s labor in the American textile industry. She has used computer-aided embroidery to create two-dimensional hangings of lyrics from working women’s songs. Her artwork illustrates this story.

“Akron must be very proud of you,” says host Mike Douglas to Ruby Nash of Ruby and the Romantics, just before they perform their #1 hit, “Our Day Will Come,” on his popular TV program, “and it has,” he concludes.

“A lot of ink is spilled about the guys in the Cleveland [music] scene, but there were a lot of women, too…” says Adele Bertei, who was one of those women. She helps us tell the story of women rock and rollers in our region from the Poni-Tails and the Secrets in the 1950s to Rachel Sweet in the 1970s, to Chrissie Hynde, and Tracy Chapman in the 1980s. The show also includes interviews with area experts and musicians like Billy Bass, Cindy Barber, Anastasia Pantsios, John Gorman, Elliott Carter, Susan Schmidt, Chris Butler, Tracy Thomas, David Giffels and Marky Ray.

Our Day Will Come: NEO Women Rock includes live performances by eight area women-led bands celebrating their predecessors by covering their work and performing their own songs. Hosted by Thomas Mulready and Vanity Crash, historical clips and interviews are presented between bands to lend context and celebrate the music of our foremothers. A final show has been added on Sat 6/22 at BOP STOP in Cleveland, featuring live performances by Jinni Fontana, LoConti, Moon Echo Garden, Patty No!, Queue Up with Ali Garrigan, the Super Babes, Truss, Vanity Crash, and Xanny Stars.

Secure your seats now and spend an evening with women who emerged, and are emerging, from our region to rock the world. Read more. 

The Ben Franklin Community Garden is a hidden gem in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood, hosting more than 200 gardeners and elementary school student aspiring gardeners on its five acres. It also has a covered stage tucked away on the property where all are invited to come on the first and third Saturdays of each summer month to hear live local music. This week the Opus 216 quartet, which pushes the limits of classical music, will perform. Read more.

Cleveland visual artist and musician Guy Vincent has always been known for pushing boundaries in his art. He’s really pushing them now, with a 25 (!) track concept album called Dualisimo. As if that weren’t enough, each track comes with art, photos, short stories and poetry, and he says he’ll be posting new content all year. While he did most of the work himself, he collaborated on eight tracks with another local musician (and his longtime creative partner), Brian Alan Hager. Read more.

CoolCleveland columnist, vineyard creator and community activitst Mansfield Frazier passed away 2 1/2 years ago but he’s still fondly remembered across many Cleveland communities. For years, he published a piece on CoolCleveland.com each Father’s Day called “Coming of Age in the Ghetto: a Father’s Day Tribute,” reflecting the challenges of being a paternal role model in a society that aimed to undermine Black men. On this and every other Father’s Day, it’s worth revisiting. Read it here.

The critical consensus is that Charles Lloyd has never sounded better. The depth of his expression reflects a lifetime of experience. Credited by many musicians with anticipating the world music movement as early as the late 1950s, Lloyd was invited to guest on recordings with the Doors, the Byrds, the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys.

The 45th Tri-C JazzFest features a cornucopia of jazz flavors from June 20-22, from superstars like Ledisi, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Take 6 and the Marcus Miller/Bob James Quartet, ARTEMIS and Dominick Farinacci’s Trumpet Summit, Scary Goldings to Harold López-Nussa: Timba a la Americana/Diego Figueiredo and Jason Moran and the Bandwagon. Get your tickets now. Read more.