Cleveland Cavaliers Spoof Heineken Commercial

Anyone who watches any sports on television has seen the recent Heineken commercial where a bunch of women scream about seeing huge closet full of clothes, and the guys scream louder seeing a huge refrigerator stocked with Heineken.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a little fun with that commercial in this great spoof. Enjoy! And – GO CAVS!






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The Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland

30th Anniversary Artwork created by Cleveland's Hector Vega

Jazz fans, the time is here. The annual Tri-C JazzFest is upon us, running from April 23 to May 3, 2009. This year, the JazzFest celebrates 30 years of jazz in northeast Ohio. (For those of you not from the area, Tri-C is the “nickname” given to Cuyahoga Community College.)

The festival got its start in May of 1980, and over the years has developed into a on-going jazz educational program, which culminates with the JazzFest in late April. It is the largest jazz festival in the country. The JazzFest has hosted many of the famous artists associated with the genre, such as Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, and many others.

To get everyone in the mood, here are a few videos from previous JazzFests and local appearances of jazz artists for the festival. Additional information such as tickets and a full schedule of artists can be found on the web site for The Tri-C Performing Arts.










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Cleveland: A Study in Black & White Photographs

Cleveland is a beautiful city in normal “living” color, but it gets its own special look when viewed in black and white photographs. Here is a video of some photos of my favorite Cleveland places – all in black & white – most of which I’ve taken over the last 2+ years.


Cleveland - A Study in Black & White Photographs



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2009 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction - Videos

Cleveland had its big rock & roll party last night as the city hosted the induction ceremonies for the 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

Cleveland’s Plain Dealer has made available some videos of the event. Here are a few for your enjoyment. Many more videos of the inductees in the pressroom and some of their performances can be found on the Plain Dealer’ web site.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction VIP Gala

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction red carpet

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum hosted a simulcast

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The Freeways of Cleveland

Clevelanders sure love their freeways, well, until they get into a traffic jam. And I have a special, not-so-nice place in my heart for I-7I, considering that our family had to be relocated in 1964 so they could put the freeway right through our house.

Despite those days when something causes a horrific backup on the freeway, the city is lucky to have such an extensive freeway system. Here is a primer on the freeways of Cleveland and the metropolitan area:

I-90 – This is the longest interstate highway of the United States, going from one end of the country to another. As it travels through the Cleveland area, I-90 skirts downtown Cleveland on the eastern side before it moves westward. It provides a great view of the city when approaching from the southern end of the innerbelt and I-71. It also contains theInnerbelt Bridge, which crosses the Cuyahoga River. The innerbelt stretch of I-90 provides connections to both I-71 and I-77. I-90 is also the home of Cleveland’s famous Deadman’s Curve.

I-490 – This runs from just east of the city (East 55th street) and connects with I-77 and I-90/I-71. It is only about 2.5 miles long.

I-480 - This is officially named the Outerbelt South Freeway, but no one in town refers to it by that name. It provides access for many of the Cleveland’s suburbs, from Streetsboro (in Portage County) to North Ridgeville (Lorain County). I-480 crosses the Cuyahoga River over a large valley on a pair of bridges (one for each direction) called the Valley View Bridge. According to Wikipedia, the Valley View Bridge pair are steel multi-stringer highway girder bridges that are 212 feet (65 m) high and 4,150 feet (1,260 m) long. It’s a long way down, and frankly the concrete barriers and wire fencing on the sides never look very reassuring to me.

Ohio Route 176 – This is specifically the stretch that is unofficially called the “Jennings Freeway”, which connects to I-71 on the north, and connects with I-480/Brookpark Road on the south end. It provides speedy access to the city for west-siders.

I-77 – Cleveland has the distinction of being the starting point of I-77 in the US (it terminates in Columbia, South Carolina). It begins at a split off from I-90 on the innerbelt. While it does travel through residential areas, it also travels through the heart of Cleveland’s industrial area.

I-71 – Like I-77, I-71 also begins its trek in Cleveland, starting at the I-90 innerbelt. As it travels through my old neighborhood – and former home - it connects the western suburbs to Cleveland before it heads south to Columbus, Ohio, and later terminates in Louisville, KY.

I-271 – This freeway connects those living east and south of Cleveland, all the way from western Lake County, through eastern Cuyahoga County, through Summit County. It is also officially named Cleveland Outerbelt East – but I call it the local Autobahn because no matter how fast you are going, there will always be a caravan of cars speeding by you at warp speed. I-271 connects with I-90, I-480, I-77, and of course, I-71. And for those speed demons, it has express lanes, which, despite the normal speed limits, seems to make drivers think they have the license to exceed as much as possible.

Ohio Rt 2 – This state freeway connects the northern suburbs from the east and west side of the city. It runs concurrent with I-90 on the east side of the city, and it splits away from I-90 at Deadman’s Curve. It is also referred to as The Shoreway, as the freeway runs close to the shore of Lake Erie

I-80 – This is part of the Ohio Turnpike, which is officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike. (Shocknessy was the first chairman of the Ohio Turnpike Commission.) It is the only toll road of the bunch that services the area. This freeway sits far south and west of the city, but connects with I-480, I-71, and I-77 that feed into the city.













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Cleveland's Submarine, The USS Cod (SS-224)

The USS Cod in Action Photo by US Navy

When I was in high school in the 1970s, our class took a trip to see the USS Cod (SS-224), a submarine which is docked on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, between Burke Lakefront Airport and the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame . I was hesitant to go inside the sub for a two reasons: one, I was claustrophobic and I was terrified of going down into a closed in area, and two, like all the girls in my class, I was wearing my school uniform, and girls just didn’t climb up and down ladders in a skirt, especially with boys/men around. (At least they didn’t in those days.)

You may ask how a submarine managed to find a home on the shores of Lake Erie, not a place one would normally think to find submarines. A brief history lesson will provide the answer.

According to the The USS Cod website, the sub was named after the (cod) fish. It is a World War II era GATO class fleet submarine and is a 312-ft, (95-m) 1,525-ton vessel. The USS Cod was first launched on March 21, 1943 and placed in commission on June 21, 1943, under the command of CDR James C. Dempsey, USN.

The USS Cod faced several battles. In one battle in 1944, under Dempsey’s command, the USS Cod destroyed the Japanese destroyer Karukaya plus other ships in that same convoy. Afterwards, the Cod had to stay submerged for 12 hours as it moved away from the attack area, finally surfacing 25 miles away from the area and into a heavy night thunderstorm.

The USS Cod has a very full history of service to the United States during and after World War II, which can be found on the USS Cod’s web site.

The USS Cod was decommissioned in 1954, and in 1959 she was towed to Cleveland to serve as a naval reserve training vessel, and was also opened for school field trips. Eventually the USS Cod was no longer needed as a training ship, and it was taken off the register of Navy ships in 1971. Later, a group of Clevelanders created the Cleveland Coordinating Committee to Save Cod, Inc., and their intent was to preserve The USS Cod as a memorial to be maintained on Cleveland’s lakefront. The group was given guardianship of the submarine by the Navy in 1976. In 1986, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the USS Cod a National Historic Landmark.


Also according to the USS Cod’s web site:

Today, Cod is one of the finest restored submarines on display and is the only U.S. submarine that has not had stairways and doors cut into her pressure hull for public access. Visitors to this proud ship use the same vertical ladders and hatches that were used by her crew. Cleveland can claim partial credit as Cod's birthplace, since the submarine's five massive diesel engines were built by General Motors' Cleveland Diesel plant on Cleveland's west side…Cod is now docked in Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio and is maintained and operated as a memorial to the more than 3900 submariners who lost their lives during the 100 year history of the United States Navy Submarine Force.


The USS Cod’s web site provides a virtual tour which allows for 360 degree views of various locations on the submarine. (That is good news for claustrophobics!) But if you want to visit it in person, it is open from May 1 through the end of September (check the web site for hours of operation).

By the way, the USS Cod is reported to be haunted. It has been included in the Haunted Cleveland Ghost Tours. Maybe there is another reason I didn’t want to go in there…

Clevelanders should be proud to serve as the home for the USS Cod, and also be thankful for its service to the country.



Update June 11, 2009 - New Video on The USS Cod




Further reference and reading

The USS Cod (SS-224) Web Site

USS Cod, Historic Naval Ships Association has some nice pictures.

Wikipedia entry for USS Cod



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RIP Cleveland Catholic Diocese – An Editorial

Yesterday, the parishoners of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese learned if their churches were staying open or closing. It is a very sad day for Cleveland Catholics, and even non-Catholics who benefited from the support of local church support programs, such as caring for the homeless, feeding the hungry, helping those with chemical dependencies, etc. Many of the poor and the inner city people will be greatly affected by this reorganization, but it will also affect thousands of other parishioners who have supported their local churches for decades, especially the elderly.

Let me say right up front that I am a lapsed Catholic. I only attend church when I absolutely have to – weddings and funerals. The church ceased to be relevant to me years ago, especially in the 1970s going forward when it seemed clear to me that the Catholic Church completely devalues women and refuses to allow them to have key roles in the Church, such as allowing them to become priests. I have always felt that the Church could still uphold its main tenets and that the same time loosen their tight collars and bring some of the practices into the modern area, continuing the work that Pope John XXIII began in the 1960s.

But it saddens me to see that the church in which all my grandparent attended, my parents were married in, and I was baptized in, located in Cleveland, is closing, and the church my husband and I were married in, located in Bedford, is also closing. The church that all my husband’s grandparents attended, his parents were married in, and he was baptized in, also located in Cleveland, is closing. It is as if someone has just taken a giant eraser and wiped away the complete history of two families.

There is also a huge concern about maintaining the structures, especially those historic buildings within the city of Cleveland. Many of these churches have become stabilizing factors in neighborhoods that are in serious decline. Without the people and supporting social programs - and the structures - the look of a city in decay could be even more devastating to neighborhoods already on the bubble.

In a press release from the Cleveland Catholic Diocese,the reasons for the closings and consolidations were listed as follows:

The reconfiguration plan reflects a proactive strategy to address three major challenges the Diocese and its parishes face as they work to create a more vibrant Church:

• Population shifts in the region. With movement away from urban areas, approximately two-thirds of Catholics are currently served by one-third of its parishes.

• Financial hardship for many parishes. Forty-two percent of parishes are currently operating in the red, with operating expenses greater than revenues.

• Fewer priests available for ministry throughout the United States and other parts of the world. The Diocese has less than half as many priests as it did in 1970.


I do understand that the Church – like any business - needs to close those facilities that are a drain on their finances. But, the truth is that there are several churches being closed that were not losing money and were not having financial hardship. As far as not having enough priests, the Church may have itself to blame for not allowing women to join the clergy, or even by not allowing priests to marry. I can understand the church not bending on the latter because of the celibacy issue, but not allowing women to become priests has cut off a huge number of potential priests.

There has also been much dispute of the creation of the “clusters” from which decisions had to be made to close a certain number of churches within each cluster. When the clusters were first established, there were complaints that some of the groupings made no sense, and some seemed to be assigned with the purpose to force the closure of specific churches.

One may say that the fact that I have not attended church in many years gives me no right to gripe. I disagree. While I do not attend church, that does not mean that I have not donated money to my church in order to keep them running or supported them in other ways. I also think that if the church were to listen a little more to dissenters, and also make changes that show that it truly lives up to its teachings by having more respect for women, maybe it wouldn’t be in such dire straights. There is also the simmering outrage of some current and lapsed Catholics (not to mention non-Catholics) regarding the large sums of money that have been paid out to settle lawsuits for claims of abuse at the hands of its clergy. Maybe if the Church had been more diligent in its management of its clergy, it wouldn’t be losing a large amount of its money to these kinds of lawsuits.

I truly feel badly for all the members of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese that learned that their Churches are closing. These people will feel even worse if some churches that are not currently protected by historic status are lost to the wrecking ball. I understand to some degree why the diocese had to do this, but I found the methods by which they decided who stays and who goes to be flawed. And unless the Catholic Church makes some changes to bring itself to show respect to all of its members, and to remain relevant to the changing times and advances of science and technology, I fear that they will continue to lose membership at a rapid pace.


http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/03/parishioners_in_the_cleveland.html
This is the status of the Catholic Churches in Cuyahoga County, as of Saturday night March 14, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:


1. Annunciation, 4697 W. 130th St.: Merging with Ascension and St. Patrick on Rocky River Drive.

2. Ascension, 14040 Puritas Ave.: Merging with Anunciation and St. Patrick on Rocky River Drive.

3. Blessed Sacrament, 3381 Fulton Road: Closing.

4. Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, East Ninth Street and Superior: Remaining open.

5. Corpus Christi, 4850 Pearl Road: Closing and merging with Our Lady of Good Counsel.

6. Holy Cross, 19951 Lake Shore Blvd., Euclid: Merging with St. Christine at Holy Cross.

7. Holy Name, 8329 Broadway SE: Remaining open.

8. Holy Redeemer, 15172 Kipling Ave., SE: Remaining open.

9. Holy Rosary, 12021 Mayfield Road: Remaining open.

10. Holy Trinity, 24821 Columbus Road., Bedford Heights: Closing and merging with St. Pius X.

11. Immaculate Conception, 4129 Superior Ave.: Remaining open.

12. Immaculate Heart of Mary, 6700 Lansing Ave.: Remaining open.

13. La Sagrada Familia, 7719 Detroit Ave.: Remaining open.

14. Our Lady of Angels, 3644 Rocky River Drive: Remaining open.

15. Our Lady of Good Counsel, 4423 Pearl Road: Merging with Corpus Christi.


16. Our Lady of Mercy, 2425 West 11th St.: Closing.

17. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel West, 6928 Detroit Ave.: Remaining open.

18. Our Lady of Peace, Shaker Boulevard and East 126th Street: Remaining open.

19. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 18022 Neff Road: Merging with St. George at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

20. Sacred Heart of Jesus, 6916 Krakow Ave.: Closing.

21. Saints Cyril and Methodius, 12608 Madison Ave.: Remaining open and merging with St. Rose of Lima at Saints Cyril and Methodius.

22. Saints Philip and James, 3727 Bosworth Road: Closing.

23. St. Ann, 2175 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights: Merging with St. Philomena, Christ the King and St. Louis.

24. St. Augustine, 2486 West 14th St.: Remaining open.

25. St. Barbara, 1505 Denison Ave.: Closing.

26. St. Boniface, 3545 West 54th St.: Remaining open.

27. St. Casimir, 8223 Sowinski Ave.: Closing.

28. St. Cecilia, Kinsman Road and East 152nd Street: Closing, as will Epiphany.

29. St. Charles Borromeo, 5891 Ridge Road, Parma: Remaining open.

30. St. Christine, 840 East 222nd St.: Closing and merging with Holy Cross.

31. St. Clement, 14401 Madison Ave., Lakewood: Remaining open.

32. St. Colman, 2027 West 65th St.: Closing.

33. St. Emeric, 1890 West 22nd St.: Closing.

34. St. Felicitas, 140 Richmond Road, Euclid: Merging with St. Paul in Euclid.

35. St. George, 6527 Superior Ave.: Merging with Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.


36. St. Gregory the Great, 1545 S. Green Road, South Euclid: Merging with St. Margaret Mary. Worship site to be determined.

37. St. Hedwig, 12905 Madison Ave., Lakewood: Closing.

38. St. Hyacinth, 6114 Francis Ave.: Closing.

39. St. Ignatius of Antioch, 10205 Lorain Ave.: Closing, but school remaining open.

40. St. James, 17514 Detroit Ave., Lakewood: Closing.

41. St. Jerome, 1500 Lake Shore Blvd.: Remaining open.

42. St. John Cantius, 906 College Ave.: Remaining open.

43. St. John Nepomucene, Fleet Avenue and East 50th St.: Remaining open.

44. St. Leo the Great, 4940 Broadview Road: Remaining open.

45. St. Louis, 2463 N. Taylor Road: Closing and merging with St. Philomena, St. Ann and Christ the King.

46. St. Luke, Clifton Boulevard and Bunts Road, Lakewood: Remaining open.

47. St. Malachi, West 25th St.: Remaining open.

48. St. Margaret Mary, 4217 Bluestone Road, South Euclid: merging with St. Gregory the Great. Worship site to be determined.

49. St. Margaret of Hungary, 4680 Lander Road, Orange: Closing.

50. St. Mark, 15800 Montrose Ave.: Remaining open.

51. St. Mary, 15519 Holmes Ave.: Remaining open.

52. St. Mary, 340 Union St., Bedford: Closing and merging with St. Pius X.

53. St. Mel, 14436 Triskett Road: Remaining open, but school is closing.

54. St. Michael the Archangel, 3114 Scranton: Remaining open.

55. St. Patrick, 4427 Rocky River Drive: Merging with Anunciation and Ascension.

56. St. Patrick, 3602 Bridge Ave.: Remaining open.


57. St. Paul, 1360 East 40th St.: Remaining open.

58. St. Paul, 1231 Chardon Road, Euclid: Closing and merging with St. Felicitas.

59. St. Philomena, 13824 Euclid Ave., East Cleveland: Merging with St. Ann's, Christ the King and St. Louis. Worship sites at St. Philomena and St. Ann's.

60. St. Pius X, 400 Center Road, Bedford: Remaining open but merging with Holy Trinity in Bedford Heights and St. Mary in Bedford.

61. St. Procop, 3181 West 41st St.: Closing.

62. St. Robert Bellarmine, 23802 Lake Shore Blvd., Euclid: Merging with St. William at St. William.

63. St. Rocco, 3205 Fulton Road: Remaining open.

64. St. Rose of Lima, 11401 Detroit Ave.: Closing and merging with Saints Cyril and Methodius at Saints Cyril and Methodius.

65. St. Stanislaus, 3649 East 65th St.: Remaining open.

66. St. Stephen, 1930 West 54th St.: Remaining open.

67. St. Thomas More, 4170 N. Amber Drive, Brooklyn: Remaining open.

68. St. Vincent de Paul, 13400 Lorain Ave.: Remaining open.

69. St. Vitus, 6019 Lausche Ave.: Remaining open.

70. St. Wendelin, 2281 Columbus Road: Closing.

71. St. William, 367 East 260th St., Euclid: Merging with St. Robert at St. William



A complete, updated list of all Cleveland Catholic Diocese Church closings can be found here.


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The Cleveland Ohio Skyline

For those of us who live in or near Cleveland Ohio, we sometimes take the city's beautiful skyline for granted. Here is a short video that I created which highlights some of my favorite views of the city. Hopefully it will not only remind Cleveland metropolitan area residents of how great this city looks, but will also serve to help "out of towners" see what they are missing. Enjoy!



The Cleveland Ohio Skyline


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Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Promotional Video

To keep everyone charged up about the upcoming Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum’s Cleveland induction ceremonies coming up on April 4, 2009. Here is a promotional video created by Glazen Creative Studios It was produced for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s New York Annex experience.









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Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame: Cleveland Induction Ceremony

In December 2007 I did a feature here on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. At the time of that writing, I bemoaned the lack of respect that the R&RHOF received, complaining that the induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Just four days after I aired my complaint, it was announced that the induction ceremonies would be held in Cleveland in 2009. Of course I had nothing to do with that, but it still felt like someone heard me.

It’s hard to believe, but the date for the Cleveland, Ohio induction ceremony is upon us. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 4, 2009, the first time it’s been held in Cleveland since 1997. And, so everyone across the United States can enjoy the event, it will be broadcast live on Fuse TV.

Rock Hall induction week, which begins on March 26, includes many added events such as educational programs, concerts, parties, The Moondog Coronation Ball, and much more. There will also be a “Free Day” giving free admission to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum for the public.

To get everyone charged up, here are a few videos from the Rock Hall that explains its history, how it helps the city, and provides a view into the facility itself. For further information about the R&RHOF and the upcoming induction ceremony, visit Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum web site.




About the R&RHOF


Economic Impact of the R&RHOF


R&RHOF Exhibits


R&RHOF Education Programs



R&RHOF Capital Campaign


How Cleveland Built the R&RHOF




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Playhouse Square – Cleveland’s Theatre District

The Palace Theatre Lobby

Clevelanders – along with most other people in the country – may not be aware that Cleveland’s Playhouse Square is the second largest theatre complex in the United States (only New York City’s Lincoln Center is larger in size) and it is second largest in the country in the number of productions (only Broadway in New York City has more).

The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History gives some information about the beginnings of Playhouse Square:

Playhouse Square is a district at Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street comprising five theaters as well as office buildings, stores, and restaurants. The possibility of making the portion of Euclid east to 17th Street into a stretch of fine shops and vaudeville, movie, and legitimate theaters was envisioned by Joseph Laronge after World War I. Together with Marcus Loew of the New York theater syndicate, Laronge and others formed Loew's Ohio Theatres, and as the concept developed, the planned entertainment district took shape between 1920 and 1922. The first two theaters to open were the State Theatre and Ohio Theatre theaters, both in February 1921. The Allen theatre opened two months later in the Bulkley Building next door. The 8-story commercial and office building contained an innovative enclosed parking garage behind the theater. Compared to other exotic movie palaces of the 1920s, the relatively early Playhouse Square theaters were in a restrained classical style, with lavish use of marble, expensive woods, murals, tapestries, and gilded plaster relief. The Palace Theatre, built to house the performances of the Keith vaudeville circuit, opened in November 1922 in front of Loew's State on East 17th Street. Above the lobby and foyer rose the 21-story B. F. Keith Building. Connections between the four theaters made it possible to go from the Palace stage into Loew's State, from there into the Ohio, and finally into the Bulkley Building and the Allen Theater. In March 1921 the Hanna Theatre opened in the annex of the Hanna Building across Euclid Avenue. Although the legitimate theater actually fronted on East 14th Street, it was regarded as part of the Playhouse Square district.

Sadly, these theatres fell into decay in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and after a fire in one theatre and vandalism in the others, they were almost left for dead. But, in the 1970s, some visionaries had some ideas for the rebirth of the area. The Playhouse Square Association, a nonprofit organization, led by Raymond K. Shepardson, worked to help the rebirth happen and the theatres were saved. The resurgence of the area was helped by the musical review titled “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” which was supposed to only have a short few week’s run at the State Theatre. It was highly successful and remained there and captivated audiences for two years. The Playhouse Square Group was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Hanna Theatre Interior
Over the years, as more of the theatres have been restored and more and varied performances and artists were scheduled, the area is again vibrant. There are several hotels and restaurants in the immediate vicinity, making it very easy for visitors (and locals too) to have a real "dinner and a theatre" experience while they are staying in town.

Most recently, the Hanna Theatre was re-imagined and renovated, creating a state of the art theatre experience. The Hanna reopened in September of 2008, and is the jewel in the crown of Playhouse Square. The Hanna is also the new home of the Great Lakes Theatre Festival.

WKYC Channel 3 did a nice news feature on the revitalization of Playhouse Square, which you can view here:





References and further reading:

Playhouse Square web site

Wikipedia - Playhouse Square

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History – Playhouse Square

The Examiner - Playhouse Square: a second run for first-run movie palaces




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Cleveland – An Aerial Perspective

A short video is below, which provides views of Cleveland and the surrounding area (to the Lake Erie Islands) that are usually reserved for birds and passengers of aircraft. It is provided by Positively Cleveland, and was created by Glazen Creative Studios.

No seatbelt is required. Enjoy your flight!




Full Screen Version




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A Cleveland Treat - Malley’s Chocolates

Many of my favorite things associated with Cleveland have to do with food. And what better time than the day before Valentine’s Day than to feature one of Cleveland’s best guilty pleasures – Malley’s Chocolates.

Many people who grew up in Cleveland may have first become familiar with Malley's as children, by selling their chocolate bars for fundraising. I have many memories of bringing home the small cases of chocolate bars to sell, which lucky for me, my grandparents took to work and sold easily to their co-workers. If we were lucky, my parents bought a bar or two for us – and with 6 children, those two bars didn’t last long.

The “Cleveland Lights Up” Assortment
The Malley’s web site indicates they are a third generation business, established in 1935 by Albert Martin Malley, better known as Mike Malley. He learned the chocolate trade from working in a chocolate store in Pennsylvania when he was a boy. With a dream to bring chocolate to people, he borrowed money and opened a small store in Lakewood, and moved his family into the living quarters in the back. The candy kitchen was in the basement. As business flourished and more room was needed, he continued to add on to the building to accommodate the ‘hand dippers.” In addition to chocolate, ice cream was sold at the store.

Over the years, more locations were added, to the point that in 1990, they moved to the 60,000 square foot location in Brook Park, which is the current location of their factory. It is easily spotted from I-480.

But enough about the history. Malley’s is all about the chocolate. Besides the fundraising chocolate, Malley’s has quite a following for its milk chocolate covered strawberries, which they introduced in 1985. As they are made and sold fresh, they are only available on Valentine's Day (February 14th) and Sweetest Day (third Saturday of October). Also a local favorite are the Billybobs, which their web site describes as “chewy, gooey, nutty, milk chocolaty treats hiding in a buttery-smooth caramel center. Pecans are roasted and lightly salted.” Don’t tell my husband, but for Valentine’s Day, I got him a box of a new Malley’s candy called ”Heaven” which combines the pecan Billybob and the marshmallow egg. Hopefully, he will share them with me!

Nothing is like Easter at Malley’s in Brook Park, where “BunnyLand” is created, featuring just about any type of Easter candy, with varying sizes and types of chocolate rabbits, marshmallow and cream eggs, jelly beans, the list goes on. My personal favorite is the large, dark chocolate cream egg, which I buy by the small bagful, and usually eat them before Easter even arrives. (I spend the rest of spring working off the calories.)

Malley’s offers tours of their Brook Park factory (13400 Brook Park Road) for large groups.

Now, after writing about Malley’s while on an empty stomach, I think I am having a chocolate attack. That box of “Heaven” I bought for my husband seems to be calling out to me now. Hopefully I will be able to tune them out until he opens the box tomorrow. Lucky for me, there is a Malley’s store about a mile from my home. I think I’ll make an emergency chocolate run there this morning!


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Touring Cleveland With Lolly The Trolley

San Francisco has steep hills and their famous cable cars. Cleveland’s terrain is much flatter, and we have our own unique sightseeing transportation. If you’re visiting Cleveland, or even if you live in the area, you may see the bright red trolleys driving through the downtown area. That’s Lolly The Trolley, a City Sightseeing Tour. Each Lolly The Trolley vehicle holds less than 40 passengers, and offers one and two hour narrated tours, covering some of Cleveland’s most prominent places of interest, such as the Flats with the Cuyahoga River and port; the North Coast Harbor, which is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Great Lake Science Center, the Downtown area, which includes the Terminal Tower and other landmark buildings and architecture, the West Side Market; Playhouse Square; University Circle and the Cultural Gardens, and many other sights along the way. The open trolleys allow passengers the ability to hear all the sounds of the city, and get some fresh air at the same time. (Yes, there IS fresh air in Cleveland.)

They also offer specialty tours of specific sights of interest, such as a Bridges Tour (there are lots of bridges in Cleveland) and Lakeview Cemetery, where famous people such as President James A Garfield,John D. Rockefeller, and Elliot Ness, among others, are buried. The trolleys can also be chartered for special trips for conventions, meetings, or just about any event.

Lolly The Trolley can be a lot of fun, and a very enjoyable way to learn about the city, either from a visitor’s, or an area resident’s, viewpoint. More information can be found on their web site, LollyTrolley.com

Here is a short video of someone’s trip on Lolly The Trolley.




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“Brooklyn Goes To Cleveland” – A Short Film

Every now and then, some kind person uploads a gem to YouTube. Here’s one for long time Cleveland residents: a short film, shown below, called “Brooklyn Goes To Cleveland.” It is part of a series of short films done by Arthur Cohen, who may be better known under his stage name, Phil Foster. His character, named “Brooklyn”, was featured in many short films or travelogues to cities such as San Francisco, Paris, Detroit, Las Vegas, Rome, etc. Brooklyn sometimes made sarcastic, humorous comments about what he saw, no matter what city he visited. He didn’t spare Cleveland. This film was released in 1955.

A little bit of trivia: Cohen also directed a film called “The Pied Piper of Cleveland: A Day in the Life of a Famous Disc Jockey” , which was a documentary on the career of Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randle. The film included Elvis Presley's first appearance on film, taken from a live performance at Brooklyn (Ohio) High School. As there were legal problems over the ownership of the film, it only had one public showing, and still has not been officially released. Some sources report that it is sitting in a vault at Universal Studios, others saying the film no longer exists. Maybe someone from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame can get this film located and/or resurrected?


Here’s the short film “Brooklyn Goes To Cleveland.” The quality isn’t too great but the audio is fine.





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CityProwl Cleveland - Listen, Walk, Enjoy!

If you live in or around the city of Cleveland, or if you are just visiting, the web site CityProwl will help enrich your visit. CityProwl provides walking tours of many of the key points of interest in downtown Cleveland, including interactive and downloadable maps, and MP3 downloads of the tours to guide you through your walk. While you can access all this information on your computer, you can also download the audio tour to an MP3 player so you can take it with you. By beginning at the designated start point, you can follow the audio instructions that take you through the tour and the sights.

CityProwl is a great tool for visitors, and can even benefit residents of the Cleveland metropolitan area who just want to rediscover the city.

So next time you’re looking for something to do, how about taking a walking tour of downtown Cleveland? Stop by CityProwl.com before you head off – it will make your trip much more worthwhile!

City Prowl Intro Video




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You Know You’re A Clevelander When…

Every now and then, someone circulates an email that starts with, “You know you’re from Cleveland when…” It lists a lot of questions involving snow, cold, winter, lake effect, polkas, kielbasa, beer, pop, sports, rock & roll, the Cuyahoga River, East side vs. West side, potholes, and orange barrels. I think those categories cover just about all the key points of which any self-respecting Clevelander should be fully aware.

This video short from Positively Cleveland features its own list of topics covering how to know if you’re a Clevelander. Take a look and see if you fit the bill. PS – if you have to ask what "kielbasa" is (mentioned above), you can't possibly be a Clevelander. If you know what it is but you’ve never eaten it, you don’t deserve to be a Clevelander even if you do live here!


You Know You’re A Clevelander When...



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Cleveland’s Best News Anchors

In the past, I’ve rated Cleveland’s morning news shows, weather forecasters, and the stations’ web sites. But it’s time to get down to business and talk about the best news anchors in town. It’s a short list, divided mostly between two stations, WKYC Channel 3, and WJW Fox 8. Viewers may think that news anchors are only as good as the copy they are given and their ability to read a teleprompter, but it is more that that. There has to be a certain “something” that an anchor has in order to keep viewers tuned in. After all, the news content is the virtually the same for every channel.



Image WKYC
Cleveland’s Best News Anchor - P.M.
Romona Robinson, WKYC Channel 3

I started writing this blog yesterday – in my head – as I was tuned in to the 6:00 PM news, watching Romona Robinson. I found myself wondering what must be going through her head, sitting up there doing the news all by herself, since Tim White left the station. In fact, it stuck in my mind so much I had a dream last night that Romona was complaining to me that she was worried she wasn’t doing very well. I’m here to tell her, and all my other readers, that Romona is doing a great job sitting in the big chair all by herself. Frankly, while I enjoyed Tim White, I always felt that Romona was the star of this newscast.

Romona delivers the news in a very deliberate, no-nonsense way. She maintains a professional demeanor, and even when a humorous moment breaks out, she still maintains her poise. But for the most part, Romona is all business while she is delivering the news, and her steady style can be calming even when the news isn’t all that good. She also isn’t one prone to overly editorialize about the news she’s delivering, a habit of which many other anchors suffer. When I turn on the evening newscasts, I want the news and I want it quick and to the point, and Romona fits that bill perfectly. While I do not know Romona, she seems to be a class act. And that’s the kind of personality a station should want in the anchor chair.


PM Runners Up
Bill Martin and Stacy Bell, WJW Fox 8

Bill Martin and Stacy Bell may actually have the best chemistry of any anchor team in town. They deliver the news in a crisp, yet light manner. Their best trait as team is their witty dialog between stories, with Stacy often looking at Bill with half condescension and the other half disdain, while Bill looks back at Stacy like she’s got a few screws loose. It’s almost like a married couple. But they know when it’s right to be serious and when it’s OK to take a jab at each other. Why didn’t I make them #1? It’s because viewers can’t always rely on one or both of them to be doing the news when they tune in to watch. It’s so bad that Bill Martin is often ribbed on-air by his co-anchors and letters from fans about his frequent absences. Of course, Stacy has missed her share of time as well. At first blush it sounds funny, but trust me, it really does annoy the viewers when they turn on their news and get stand-ins more than they get the leads. Still, when Bill and Stacy are both on the air, viewers are guaranteed a good dose of the news with some entertaining levity mixed in. It's a real treat.


Cleveland's Best News Anchors - A.M.
Wayne Dawson and Tracy McCool, WJW Fox 8

Despite the fact that they make sure that their on-air clothing matches each other, one may think that this is the biggest mismatch of anchors in town. Wayne Dawson sometimes seems too stuffy and Tracy McCool sometimes seems a little too cheerful. But, over the years, this has formed a perfect balance for the delivery of the morning news, with a fast pace that gets you up and gets you going. They seem very comfortable working together, and that can make even the most hurried morning rush seem a little more calming. Some of their best moments, though, are unscripted and impromptu. For example, in a perfect example of teamwork, in this video below, Wayne steps in to save the day when Tracy loses her “McCool” while reading a news story that is too funny for her to handle.

Tracy Loses her McCool On Air



AM Runner Up
Mark Nolan– WKYC Channel 3

Mark Nolan took over the morning anchor desk at WKYC Channel 3 a little over a year ago. The role fits him well, much better than his previous role of forecasting weather, where it seemed he couldn’t wait to be done with his segment. But Mark seems quite at ease having to sit still for a few hours weekday mornings to do the news segment from 5:00 – 7:00 AM, and he brought the spark back and some needed energy to the morning news on Channel 3. His co-anchor Abby Hamm, however, still seems a little stiff and isn’t quite the right balance for Nolan to make this a real winning team.


Honorable Mention
Ted Henry – WEWS Channel 5

Ted Henry has been on Cleveland TV news almost forever. Based on information from the WEWS web site , he’s been at the station over 36 years. Herein lies the problem. Ted has been around so long that he blends into the woodwork. It could be that he’s taken for granted, both by the stations and the Cleveland viewers. Still, Ted’s delivery of the news is reliable and comfortable. But the excitement of the Ted Henry/Dave Patterson days (video below) are long gone.



Missing in Action
Channel 19 has no standouts in the anchor category. The big problem is the tabloid style reporting of the station, which sucks any credibility out of any news stories they present. Even Walter Cronkite sitting at the anchor desk couldn’t be considered a contender.






Classic Video – Dave Patterson and Ted Henry



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Cleveland Area Former Nike Missile Sites

Nike Ajax, Hercules, and Zeus Missiles
Photographer and Location Unknown

Somewhat by accident I found that only a few hundred feet from a company where I used to work in Eastlake Ohio, there was a Nike Missile site. No, I’m not talking about a type of shoe, but real honest-to-god missiles that are used for war and blow things up. I became curious about the subject and with a little digging, I found that at one time, there were several Nike missile sites in the Cleveland area.

Photo from Dana Ryan and Burke Lakefront Airport staff

The Nike missile program was named after Nike, the goddess of victory from Greek mythology. The program brought Nike Ajax and/or Nike Hercules missiles to the Cleveland area and other locations across the nation during the “Cold War” era to combat a perceived Soviet threat. The missiles were part of a “line-of-sight” anti-aircraft missile system. They were put in place in the mid-1950s, and remained in place until the early 1960s when most locations in the Cleveland area became obsolete and closed, with the exception of the Parma and Warrensville locations. All bases in the Cleveland area were closed by 1971, and all locations were eventually reconfigured to serve other purposes more useful to their communities.

At Burke Lakefront Airport
Photo by Howard L. NewmarkerThe missile location in the confines of the actual city of Cleveland was at Burke Lakefront Airport. All locations in the Cleveland area were as follows:
CL-02 Bratenahl
CL-11 Painesville (Lake County)
CL-13 Willowick.Eastlake (Lake County)
CL-34DC Warrensville
CL-34 Warrensville/ Highland Hills
CL-48 Garfield Heights
CL-59 Parma/ Midpark Station
CL-67 Lakefront Airport (Burke)
CL-69 Lordstown Military Res/Fairview Park

You can find more detailed information about the program, and these Cleveland locations, in the links below.

By the way, I dug deep into my “archives” and found some old aerial photographs taken of the company where I worked in Eastlake. The photos were from the early 1960s – long before I worked there – but you can spot the location of the missile site in the photos.

Additional reading and reference:
Encylcopedia of Cleveland History Nike Missile Bases, which includes addresses for most locations

Nike Missile Sites in Ohio

The Nike Historical Society

Detroit-Cleveland Defense Area



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The Cleveland Police Historical Society Inc. and Museum

There are many big museums in Cleveland but one that is not as well known is the Cleveland Police Historical Society Inc. and Museum, which is located on 1300 Ontario St, on the first floor of the Justice Center.

Founded in 1983, it came to be as a result of the efforts of a group of Cleveland policemen and area citizens. The idea was hatched as a result of a visit to Scotland Yard’s Black Museum in London, England by Cleveland Police Detective Robert Bolton, who then convinced Chief William Hanton that Cleveland should have its own police museum. Over a period of 7 months, members of the department and private citizens worked together to create a nonprofit historical society. At first, the museum was only was allotted 1200 sq. ft. of space on the first floor of the Justice Center, and 4 years after its founding, the museum was one of only 12 of its kind in the United States. It received visitors not only from local areas but also from around the world. It features exhibits documenting the history of the Cleveland Division of Police from its inception in 1866, and differentiates itself from other museums of its kind as it is funded completely by private citizens and is not controlled or funded by the Cleveland Police Department or state or federal tax dollars.

The museum now has a larger area than when it began, currently with over 4,000 square feet of space. It continues to work to preserve the history of the police department, in addition to fostering a better understanding of the role of law enforcement within the community. My husband’s grandfather was a police officer in Cleveland from the late 1920s to the early 1940s, so the family has a great appreciation for the police officers that are on the front lines of keeping Clevelanders and the city's visitors safe. It’s nice to know that their efforts are being recorded and maintained for future generations to appreciate.

If you would like more information on the Cleveland Police Historical Society Inc. and Museum, you can visit their web site, here.

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