04.01-04.08.09
Let's Rock

In this week's issue:

I hope everyone is as excited as we are about the induction ceremonies returning to Cleveland for the first time since the Rock Hall opened more than 10 years ago. The region is kicking in millions to party like a rock star this week, and the best thing to do is to jump in with both feet. Watch our video with curator Jim Henke, and another with visionary Christopher Axelrod and his Rockometer project. But don't stop there. Spring is on the way, and Cool Cleveland points you to the Metroparks for fishing, discovering wildflowers and chasing the salamanders. I talk on video with activist Stefanie Spear, who puts on a Green Gala this weekend, and you can get a handle on your carbon footprint with our feature on the Cleveland Carbon Fund. We're ready to rock if you are. --Thomas Mulready

Share your vision for the Future of Cleveland
Networking party with executives-in-residence @ CSU 4/22

What's your cool idea for the future of Cleveland - in economic development, in housing, in education, in race relations? We want to know - so Cool Cleveland is teaming up with Cleveland State University to present an evening of visionary fun with a career-boosting twist (after all, what are universities for?) on Wed 4/22 from 5:30-8PM. More info here.

Dig into a delicious menu of hors d'oeuvres and open bar with beer & wine in the spectacularly renovated Fenn Tower and meet 8 Executives-In-Residence for an F2F discussion about Cleveland's (and your own) future: Steven Minter, former director of The Cleveland Foundation; former state senator Grace Drake; David Whitehead, former VP of FirstEnergy; Julian Earls, former director of NASA-Glenn; Barbara Byrd-Bennett, former CEO, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and others. Networking, round-robin discussion (think speed dating with a civic twist!), incorporating your cool ideas, with everything live-blogged. Get on the train and check out the full menu and details here. Order your tickets before Midnight Thu 4/2 for your best value. As with all Cool Cleveland events, this price will rise each week.

Click here for more info & ticket discount until Midnight 4/2: Newsletter/Csu042209

Jim Henke has had his share of dream jobs. The Vice President of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum joined up in 1994 after a long career as a music journalist at Rolling Stone, among others. As the chief curator, he is responsible for nearly all of the Rock Hall's content, from films and programming, to interactive displays and exhibitions like the brand new From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen experience, opening today, Wed 4/1. Plus he's excited about this week's bevy of events culminating in the 2009 Rock Hall Induction Ceremonies - held right here in Cleveland at Public Hall! Henke took time out of his busy schedule to chat with CC curator Thomas Mulready recently and this interview is quite the keeper. Click here for a complete Rock Hall Induction Week 2009 schedule of events. http://www.RockHall.com

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HELP Beck Center is making an urgent appeal direct from Executive Director Cindy Einhouse. Help if you can, and please forward to 10 of your friends. Help Beck
The Firelands Wine Adventure: An Ohio Tradition in Wine Since 1880 is an educational campaign for the trade, press, and consumers launched by our very own Firelands Winery! Click
GREEN GreenCityBlueLake has a new look! and you can take it in with your environmental/sustainability news here
Did you know that Saturdays are free at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage through the end of May?? Now you do!
Are you doing the Hidden Cleveland Tours this weekend? If not, there's still time to get yourself registered!
Infinite Number of Sounds releases FREE third/ final album The Island of Misfit Noise can be downloaded here and "no cost" is a download option
If you're not getting CrossFit, Cleveland then you need to get CrossFit Cleveland!
Don't miss the sneak preview of the All City Art Show put on by Arts Collinwood Fri 4/3 from 6 - 9PM. Official public opening comes next week! 15605 Waterloo Rd. Details
Under the specter of Rock Hall Inductions in town, Roldo sees the institution as a "heavy burden" for taxpayers on realNEO. Read
Are you using the no-cost Google411? If not, check out the 411 service here
Hitchcock in Hi-Def??? Yep. Indeed. You need to have a look here
The Krystian Zimerman performance for this Fri 4/3''', part of CMA's VIVA! series, has been cancelled. Patrons who have purchased tickets can exchange them for other upcoming concerts by calling CMA at 1-888-CMA-0033.
Vote Great Lakes Brewing Co. as Best Midwest Craft Brewery by clicking over here
The 10-part series High School Rock-Off debuted last night, featuring a bevy of local young musicians. The Time-Warner Cable NEON (Northeast Ohio Network) show airs M-F from 9 – 9:30PM and Sunday at noon. New episodes air each week with the final show the week of Mon 6/1. Click

Hey! Follow that Blue Arrow! Record collector Pete Gulyas (pictured) opened a new store in the Waterloo Arts district last week called Blue Arrow Records and Books. Located at 16001 Waterloo Rd., the place is named for the vintage sign outside the building and offers quality used LPs, 45s, and 78s from the 1950s to present day from all genres in the musical spectrum. And more. Blue Arrow compliments the District's burgeoning and eclectic offerings including the Beachland Ballroom/This Way Out, Waterloo 7 Art Gallery, Music Saves and Shoparooni.

HELP April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the impetus behind the 3rd Annual Pinwheels for Prevention Display starting today Wed 4/1 at 11:30AM. Providence House, a local symbol of hope for at-risk, abused and neglected children, will host a display of 15,782 blue pinwheels in Tower City Center to represent each reported case of child abuse in Cuyahoga County in 2008. Providence House has a month's worth of important activities thereto; not only can you participate, you can help. No child deserves to be abused. http://www.Providencehouse.org.

Did you know that April is also National Poetry Month? Joseph-Beth Booksellers does, and their Legacy Village/Lyndhurst location will have open mic poetry readings every Friday (including this Fri 4/3) during the month of April in recognition. Readings will take place in the event area on the main floor from 7 - 8:45PM; a sign-in sheet for first-come, first-serve readings will be available. No cost, open to the public. Call 691-7000 or visit http://www.JosephBeth.com for details.

Cle State University's Gay Lesbian and Straight Alliance (GLASA) presents Feed the Gays, the first annual fundraiser for scholarships for the LGBT and allied communities, on Sat 4/4 from 5 - 9PM at Bounce Nightclub (2814 Detroit Ave.) Local artists will exhibit work, donating 50% of all sales to the GLASA scholarship fund, while a host of performing artists entertain on the Bounce stage. More info on Facebook here.

WRUW 91.1 FM is having their annual telethon this week. The Case Western Reserve University radio station's goal is to digitize their entire collection with the funds they raise in 2009. Donate during your favorite show or go to the website and donate at anytime -- and score some cool WRUW loot/swag for your tax-deductible donation. Support commercial free, volunteer-run college radio (and not just WRUW, but all NEO stations like them). Terra-based radio doesn't have to die and doesn't all suck. More info. http://www.WRUW.org/Telethon.

For Word Lovers Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller offers up her third convergence of the Word Lover's Retreat at the Idlewyld Bed & Breakfast in historic Lakeside, Ohio from Fri 5/1 - Sun 5/3. In the spirit of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, attendees focus on reading like a writer, manuscript makeovers, critique sessions, and use of literary techniques. Got a novel in you? Want to freelance more? Or just follow your muse? Pack up your writing projects and open your mind on the porches of Idlewyld in the heart of Ohio's Chautauqua. Contact Claudia at ctallerwritesATwowway.com or call 440-554-6406 for room rates and more info.

SPONSORED: One-of-a-kind Chess Collections in Cleveland?! Who knew! Cleveland Public Library complements their extensive chess collections by displaying unique and creative chess sets designed by students of the Cleveland Institute of Art. Don't miss the two-year class creations of Professor Barbara Stanczak's students from Mon 3/30 to Fri 4/10. The chess sets will be on display during the CMSD Progress with Chess event on Wed 4/8 & Thu 4/9. http://www.CPL.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.

Christopher G. Axelrod is many things: actor, musician, concert producer, event planner, and collector of amazing stuff. He is also full of ideas for things that he seems to be able to turn into realities. And he's a big Cleveland booster. Among his latest big ideas are the Rockometer, a 2000-seat banquet hall with full stage and special effects (largest one East of Las Vegas) sited on the Coast Guard property across E. 9th from the Rock Hall, and that project's new addition, Music Legacy Plaza, which includes Skip: the largest indoor grill in the world, family style; Flip: new, vintage and rare musical instruments; Scratch: regional rock star fashion; Spin: rock-themed home accessories. These are projects that could help bring a lot of visitors to Cleveland, and bring a lot of Clevelanders downtown. You can visit the Rockometer website at: http://www.TheRockometer.com, and see 3-D models of the two projects. Watch the video, as Cool Cleveland correspondent David Budin catches up with Axelrod to ask him about the newest piece of this cool project. http://www.TheRockometer.com

SPONSORED: Looking to Spice Things Up? Join us for the Natural History of Spices on Sat 4/18 (Reception: 6:30PM; Dinner: 8PM) with guest chef Karen Small from the Flying Fig. Small will prepare a seven-course meal devoted to spices at the Natural History Museum. Tickets: $150 per person. Info here: www.cmnh.org/site/Classesandprograms/Specialevents/Naturalhistoryoffood/Spices.aspx.

Let's Hear it for Arts & Early Childhood Education!
Both are Essential to Making (and Keeping) Cleveland Cool

If the headline caught your eye and you're reading this you are probably passionate about the arts and kids. You may already value how important the arts are and care about programming for tiny tots. Did you ever stop and think about the link? A link that benefits today's children, the region and tomorrow's future? Personally, socially... and even economically?

Documented by research, including the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC), "high quality early education produces long-lasting benefits." Yet sometimes it seems early childhood education is perceived as tantamount to caregiving...

Read more from Jeannie Fleming-Gifford here

Twilight in Cleveland Writer/instructor Erin O'Brien will be leading a cool, four-hour course called Between the Lines of Twilight -- which examines Stephenie Meyer's entire Twilight series from a professional writer's point of view. The class will be offered at Lakeland Community College Thu 4/2 on from 6:30 - 8:30PM. Program repeats in May!! More info here and course registration info is here.

Old Mother Hubbard Hale Farm & Village is your destination Fri 4/3 at 10AM (repeating at 1PM). Take a trek out to visit a log cabin to see if the cupboard is bare. After finding ingredients, children will work together to learn how pioneers cooked over an open hearth. The program is designed for ages 2 to 6 years old. In addition to making a candle, kids will enjoy a story and a snack. It's like a mini Yankee Peddler experience for kids! Visit http://www.WRHS.org or call 330-666-3711 x230 for details.

Comics Symposium Local and nationally-recognized luminaries of the art form descend on Lakeland Community College as the institution hosts their 6th Annual Comics Symposium on Fri 4/3 and Sat 4/4. The symposium explores scholar-led discussion on the theme of Comics: The Genesis of Super. 7700 Clocktower Dr., Kirtland. Call 440-525-7353 or visit http://LakelandCC.edu/Comics.

Here We Grow Again!!! Inside Waterloo 7 Studio & Gallery, a Grand Opening of the "Wunderkind" Gallery for children will take place Fri 4/3 at 6PM. Live entertainment by kids and art by children ages 5-16 years old will be the highlight! We take grooming future generations of artists seriously and believe that art is not a luxury. All children's art will be for sale, so come and support this worthy cause. Waterloo 7 Studio and Wunderkind Gallery, 16006 Waterloo Rd. For more information, please call Jerry Schmidt at 239-293-9548.

The 24th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony The tickets are long gone for the actual inductions at Public Hall this year, but if your older kids are into the festivities, take them to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame + Museum Sat 4/4. For information on tickets, nominees and other special announcements, visit http://www.RockHall.com/Induction2009 or call 781-ROCK.

Kazoo the Roo arrives during MonsterPianos on Sun 4/5 at E.J. Thomas Hall in Akron. Beloved UofAkron mascot Zippy will lead the audience in the world premiere of Kazoo the Roo during this University of Akron concert performance at 3PM, featuring multiple pianos -- played by 26 pianists. A big-screen "piano cam" will put the audience in the middle of the musical sights and sounds. 198 Hill St., Akron. Call 330-972-7570 for tix/info.

It's an Easter Egg Extravaganza Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers this fun event Sun 4/5. Climb aboard for a most eggsellent adventure -- an outing which combines the thrill of a train ride in the Cuyahoga Valley with a lively puppet show, arts & crafts and an Easter egg hunt. What kiddo could ask for anything more? Snare details at http://www.CVSR.com or call 330-657-2000 for more.

Think Spring in the Metroparks and on the Towpath

We can hardly wait. Winter's always a time for planning, but spring is the time for getting out and doing things. The 21,000 acres of preserved green space in the Cleveland Metroparks' Emerald Necklace is starting to green, slowly but surely.

The undergrowth along the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath is becoming springy and plants are sprouting through the soil looking for light before the canopy of trees darkens the sun's rays...

Read more from Claudia J. Taller here

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: The Lady with all the Answers is a delightful, one-woman comedy about the "mistress of manners" herself, Eppie Lederer, a.k.a. Ann Landers. Based on her life and letters, and filled with secrets, regrets, and triumphs, this play focuses on her two closest relationships - her husband and her twin sister, better known as Dear Abby. The Los Angeles Times said "Mimi Kennedy pulls out all the stops to captivate us." Join us Fri 3/27 - Sun 4/19 at The Cleveland Play House. Info: www.clevelandplayhouse.com/showinfo.asp?eventID=39

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

Cle Clinic's Dr. Michael Roizen talks w/ NYT on Musical Pharmacology and you can read this cool piece here: Composing Concertos in the Key of Rx
Is Congress considering newspaper bailout? Confusing, if so. They fail to re-imagine their business and we're expected to pay for it? Thoughts?
State to commit $400M to Innerbelt Bridge project and the details are here
Borders Books & Music on the way out? At least a couple web spots with inside knowledge think so. Here's one
Register for 2009 Perspectives: Women Who Excel Conference by clicking here
Business Week talks up the cool Rock Hall/Fuse.TV tech-partnership in this short profile piece
Seattle economists say "At least we're not Cleveland" Seattle PI piece features this nugget: "There are a lot of specific missteps that occurred in that Cleveland disaster... It's a cautionary tale." Read

HOT Egger again claims PD will publish every day Makes us think of coaches who say "So-and-so is our guy and we have complete confidence..." Usually happens before said "so-and-so" gets broken off. We've got a better idea -- one from the Jim Lehrer playbook -- it's called "Newspapers = non-profit organizations." Read

Leading With Style The Ohio Women's Bar Association (OWBA) and the Rennillo Family Foundation host their 2nd annual event Wed 4/22 from 5 - 9PM at 100 Erieview Tower. The cross-networking/ shopping/ pampering event draws NEO's top professionals (women and men) and raises money for OWBA's scholarship fund and the Urban Community School. Details at http://www.OWBA.org.

HOT Got*City GAME! gets $30K & mentoring from the Civic Innovation Lab to create an online reality show featuring "city challenges" in downtown Cleveland. Auditions will be open to the public and contestants will compete to prove their city knowledge. Winners get to live Downtown for a year in a free condo, complete with tix to sports, theatre, restaurants & night clubs! Joy Roller of Gordon Square Arts District, and a former TV producer, will mentor. Info here: http://www.GotCityGame.tv (link will be active 4/2). Have a good idea to foster downtown vibrancy, attract and retain talent, support entrepreneurship and/or build emerging industries? Apply for your own funding & mentorship at http://www.CivicInnovationLab.org.

* Jim Rokakis: Breakfast Networking Meeting The County Treasurer [pictured] & 2007 County Leader of the Year according to American City and County magazine, speaks on how to save Cle/Cuy County Thu 4/2 at this Cuy Valley COC event. Register

Intellectual Property Law Professor Graeme Dinwoodie from Chicago-Kent College of Law will visit The University of Akron School of Law on Mon 4/6 at 5PM as part of the annual Albert and Vern Oldham Intellectual Property Law Lecture Series. The lecture, which is no cost and open to the public, takes place at the UA School of Law, 150 University Ave., Room 151. A reception will immediately follow. Click for details.

SPONSORED: The Dancing Wheels Company is on a roll with a season filled with national and international tours. The month of April starts off with a performance in Cleveland at the Renaissance Hotel for the PDM Healthcare Conference, then off to Canada for two Concert performances at the Richmond Hill Performing Arts Center immediately followed by a performance at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg PA. Later in the month, following their world premiere performance at the Ohio Theater at Playhouse Square, the Company will take off to DC to perform at the University of Maryland. Now in its 28th season, America's first physically integrated dance company is proud to represent the City of Cleveland and the State of Ohio throughout the world. For more information on this unique Company call 216-432-0306, log onto http://www.DancingWheels.org or visit them on Facebook!

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Shakespeare Prison Program Curt Tofteland, the founder and artistic director of the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Behind Bars program, speaks at the Paul A. Daum Lecture Series at The University of Akron Wed 4/1 at 7PM. His topic is Behind Bard-Wire: Reflection, Responsibility, Forgiveness, and Redemption... The Transformative Power of Art, Theatre, and Shakespeare. Should be a revelation. For more info, call 330-972-7890 or visit http://www.UAkron.edu/dtaa.

Blessed is the Match Siegal College is bringing an amazing documentary film to Cleveland for the first time. Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh will be screened Wed 4/1 at 7PM and the filmmaker Roberta Grossman will be available afterwards for a lively Q&A discussion. This film, circulating through Jewish film festivals across the country, tells the amazing journey of Hannah Senesh during WWII. No cost, open to the public. Call 464-4050 or email rkronick@siegalcollege.edu for tickets. 26500 Shaker Blvd. http://www.BlessedIsTheMatch.com. http://www.SiegalCollege.edu.

The 8th OddyFest Odd Wednesdays will never be the same. In this eighth installment of Matt Greenfield's bizarro stage extravaganza, the featured works include The Musicalling by Ian Adler. They're not ones to give away a plot, but they tell us the keywords are: Romance, hot air balloon, barking dogs and dead-end signs -- "all explored in glorious harmonious song" by an ensemble of the best musicallers they could find. Launches Wed 4/1 (repeats Fri 4/3 and Wed 4/15) at 7:30PM. Heights Arts Studio, 2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. Email: oddyfest@gmail.com for more info.

HOT Akron Film Festival Didn't get enough at the Cleveland International Film Fest? The Akron Art Museum hosts three evenings of local and international films, plus workshops on cinematography, working with "Super 8," acting and film theory from Thu 4/2 - Sun 4/5. Includes the supercool Audience of One (left, the story of a preacher who makes a science fiction flick), an animated feature based on ancient Indian stories and legends, two shorts segments and plenty of local filmmakers. More visual goodness than could possibly be included here; we highly recommend checking out the AFF trailer here and plotting out your screenings ASAP. http://www.AkronFilmFestival.com.

Andrew Bird The baroque pop/indie folk powerhouse comes to town courtesy of the Beachland Ballroom & Grog Shop, with special guest A Hawk and a Hacksaw on Thu 4/2 at PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theater. See and hear why he was a darling of the most recent Coachella Festival. Tickets at 241-6000. http://www.AndrewBird.net.

The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes WKSU-FM 89.7 will present an exclusive screening of this new doc film about Garrison Keillor, the host and creator of public radio favorite A Prairie Home Companion. The screening hits Thu 4/2 at 7:30PM at the Cedar Lee Theatre, Cle Heights. Tickets include a small popcorn and can be purchased in advance or at the door. Proceeds benefit WKSU. Details. http://www.ClevelandCinemas.com. http://www.WKSU.org.

Cleveland's chapter of Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art School is a riot. "Where drinking and drawing is the norm" is their motto; if you've never been and you're predisposed to drawing and visual arts, you need to check out this monthly life drawing class with a twist. Have an evening of getting your sketch on Thu 4/2 at 7:30PM at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights). http://DrSketchyCleveland.com.

GREEN Green Gala EarthWatch Ohio's first-ever Green Gala takes place at Executive Caterers at Landerhaven on Fri 4/3 from 7PM - midnight. Co-sponsored by Cool Cleveland and over a dozen other local, sustainability-minded companies, the event promises to be a fun-filled night with tunes from Carlos Jones and the P.L.U.S. Band and keynote speaker, actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr. 6111 Landerhaven Dr., Mayfield Heights. http://www.EarthWatchOhio.org. See video interview with EarthWatch Ohio founder Stefanie Spear here.

HOT Marc A. Stefanski The chairman/CEO of Third Federal Savings and Loan and TFS Financial Corp., speaks at Case Western Reserve University for a Q&A about the current housing crisis and how it impacts urban families Fri 4/3 at 3:30PM. Stefanski will also share the bank's successful model of consumer education. No cost, open to the public. Stefanski's a sharp guy and well worth a listen. 11402 Bellflower Rd. Reception follows. Call 368-2140 or email: crystal.daprile@case.edu for info. http://www.CASE.edu.

HOT Art In Full Bloom Waterloo 7 Studio & Gallery is hosting an opening to welcome spring Fri 4/3 from 6-11PM. Cleveland area artists will create works of art that represent Spring. Items will include paintings of wildlife, botanicals, sculpture, blown glass flowers and much more. Meander through their outdoor sculpture garden, which will reopen for the season during the event. Waterloo 7 Studio and Gallery, 16006 Waterloo Rd. For more info call Jerry Schmidt at 239-293-9548.

The Enemy Within The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage presents a fascinating historical perspective with The Enemy Within: Terror in America - 1776 to Today, opening Fri 4/3. A creation of the enormously popular International Spy Museum (Washington, DC), this exhibition embodies domestic terrorists and foreign agents, militant radicals and saboteurs who threatened America's sense of security for more than two centuries. Visit http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org or phone 593-0575 for details.

Yuri's Night Cleveland hits the Great Lakes Science Center this Fri 4/3 at 9PM [pictured]. This international celebration of humanity's achievements in space. Think Interstellar Happy Hour: there will be space and science exhibits, live music, and a cash bar (18+ to attend, 21+ to drink). 601 Erieside Ave. Details at http://www.YurisNightCleveland.net.

The Mineola Twins Tremont's resident professional theatre company, convergence-continuum, launches its 2009 Season at the Liminis theatre with this stage production by Paula Vogel, opening Fri 4/3 at 8PM. Playwright Vogel describes The Mineola Twins as a "comedy in six scenes, four dreams, and (at least) six wigs." Expect a lot of wigs, costumes and a lot of quick-changes, a stripped-back cast and madcap series of characters and decades. 2438 Scranton Rd., Tremont. Call 687-0074 or visit http://www.convergence-continuum.org.

HELP Rock the Puzzle Northeast Ohio Autism Group's annual fundraiser benefiting Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital's Autism Center will be held Fri 4/3 at the House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave. The evening will feature live music by Stan Miller, Blues DeVille, Nick Zuber, Second Place and Breakfast Club. Madison Ohio's Grand River Cellars provides a special selection and tasting of wines with labels designed by Cle-area children diagnosed with autism. Details at http://www.RockThePuzzle.com.

Trifold gathers together new work from Zygote Press artists and is curated by co-founder/Managing Director, Liz Maugans. The exhibition opens Fri 4/3 at 6PM with a reception and features work in paper, book and printmaking and celebrates the launch of the Morgan Conservatory's Educational spring-and-summer line-up of classes and workshops. On view through end of April. 1754 East 47th St. Details at http://www.MorganConservatory.org or call 361-9255.

HOT Aloha from the Underworld (Aloha van de Onderwereld) debuts with an opening reception at Low Life Gallery, 16001 Waterloo Rd. this Fri 4/3 from 7 - 11PM. This two women assemblage and collage exhibition combines the talents of Netherlands artist, Michelle Van Dijk with Cle's own Phoebe Marie Nelson. http://www.LowLifeCleveland.com.

HOT The Dirt Rag 20th Anniversary Party at Ray's MTB drops Sat 4/4 and Sun 4/5. The first issue of the mag came out 20 years ago; celebrate with a ride with the Dirt Rag crew at Ray's. Party on Saturday night at the nearby Holiday Inn, with refreshments supplied by Troeg's Brewing and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Ray's has a discount on rooms, too. Check their website for a discount code and details http://www.RaysMTB.com.

Roy Ayers Don't miss an extraordinary night with the legendary funk/jazz groovemeister Sat 4/4 at 7PM and 10:30PM at 2020 Martini Cafe Lounge. Tickets at http://www.2020Martini.com.

Ferrante Vintner's Dinner Soak up the vino vibes and meet winemaker Nicholas Ferrante at The Lodge at Geneva On-The-Lake this Sat 4/4. This delicious Spring getaway package includes a Ferrante wine tasting with Ferrante, a special five-course dinner paired with the winemaker's Signature Series wines, overnight accommodations and breakfast. Enjoy live entertainment after dinner while mingling with the Chef and Vintner. It's a grape escape -- and face it, you need a getaway after this winter! RSVP: 866-806-8066 or online at http://www.TheLodgeAtGeneva.com.

HOT Edible Books Festival Loganberry Books and Strong Bindery present this great annual event Sat 4/4 at 1PM. This week's case of "truth in advertising is an international event with exhibitions and competitions all over the world. Here in Cle, the fest has just one rule: make edible art that has something to do with books. How people choose to interpret that rule is where all the fun lies! Score all the details here. 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights. Call 795-9800 or visit http://www.LoganberryBooks.com.

GREEN Greener and Greener is an art exhibition that celebrates planet earth. This 7th Annual Environmental Art Exhibition runs in conjunction with the popular Who's Your Mama? Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival Sat 4/4 from 8 - 10PM with an Opening Reception. Paintings, jewelry, sculpture, photographs, crafts and more will be on display. North Water Street Gallery, 257 N. Water St., Kent. Call 330-673-4970 or visit http://www.StandingRock.net and http://www.WhosYourMama.org for details on the exhibition and film fest.

Denny Carleton & Friends Coffeehouse Concert The Willoughby Fine Arts Association Singers and Songwriters coffeehouse series is dedicated to the time-honored tradition where songwriters share stories and ideas and perform original music. Check out Carlton Sat 4/4 at 6:30PM with performers include Dan Klawon, Quinn Sands, Gary Lee, Charlie Brown and Ed Mills. Main Gallery at The Fine Arts Association, 38660 Mentor Ave., Willoughby. http://www.FineArtsAssociation.org.

On With the Show! North Coast Men's Chorus offers their Spring Concert -- perfect for those who are into Broadway tunes -- on Sat 4/4 at 8PM and Sun 4/5 at 3PM. Both shows will be located at Waetjen Auditorium at Cleveland State University, Music and Communications Building, 2001 Euclid Ave. Call 556-0590 or visit http://www.NCMChorus.org.

SPONSORED: This Saturday, April 4, at 8PM, WCLV 104.9 is live from Knight Concert Hall in Miami for The Cleveland Orchestra's last concert of this years' South Florida residency. Guest conductor Pinchas Steinberg conducts Barber's School for Scandal Overture, Brahms' Violin Concerto with Nikolaj Zanider as soloist, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Next Tue 4/7, at 9PM, The Chicago Symphony returns to WCLV's airwaves. Complete details on WCLV's exclusive 24/7 classical music programming at http://www.WCLV.com.

HOT Designarosa is a Civic Innovation Lab-funded event put on by Pop-Up City Sun 4/5 from 2 - 5PM. This is a totally cool exploration of producing an extremely limited-edition pop-up book along with an all-you-can-cr(eat)e buffet book release party! An urban obstacle course will turn downtown into a multimodal urban playscape! Held at vacant storefront at 1305 Euclid Ave. http://www.MySpace.com/PopUpCleveland.

Street Scene: An American Opera A spirited portrayal of a Manhattan tenement in 1946, Kurt Weill's masterpiece is coming to Daum Theatre at The University of Akron Sun 4/4 at 2PM. Jazz, the blues, spirituals, and Rogers and Hammerstein songs provide the musical background for the UA School of Music production directed by James Mismas. The UA Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Guy Victor Bordo, will accompany the cast. Kolbe Hall, 328 Buchtel Common, on the UA campus. For more info, call 330-972-8301 or visit http://www.UAkron.edu/music.

Harts & Flowers First Mondays presents a reading of Harts and Flowers by Jean Cummins on Mon 4/6 at 7PM at the Cle Heights/Univ Heights mail library. What makes a good marriage? Is it an equal partnership or is there a winner and a loser in every phase of life? Soak up the 50 years that Jennifer and Alan Hart have spent together as they relive and re-imagine their life together. 2340 Lee Rd., Cle Heights. No cost, open to the public; donations are welcome.

The Prince of Frogtown Joseph-Beth Booksellers hosts best-selling author Rick Bragg on Tue 4/7 at 7PM In his third installment, The Prince of Frogtown Bragg continues his bestselling and beloved American saga that documents a mesmerizing journey back in time to the lush Alabama landscape of Rick's youth, to Jacksonville's 100-year-old mill and the troubled, charismatic hustler coming of age in its shadow, Rick's father. With candor, insight, and tremendous humor, Rick Bragg closes his circle of family stories in an unforgettable tale about fathers and sons. Pulitzer Prize recipient. http://www.JosephBeth.com

HOT GREEN The Return of the Cuyahoga & Lake Erie: Ohio's Great Lake We don't tell you to stay home and watch TV. Just not who we are. But in this case, it's worth your time. Starting Wed 4/8 at 9PM, Return of the Cuyahoga details the comeback of a river that caught fire on June 22, 1969. The fire started a chain of events that included the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Earth Day, the creation of Environmental Protection Agencies at the federal and state levels and a rapidly growing consciousness about the environment in America. The program is followed by Lake Erie: Ohio's Great Lake, which focuses on how our Great Lake was formed and a historical timeline featuring archival and newly shot HD footage. Two hours of awesome, family-friendly programming that might learn ya a thing or two. On WVIZ/PBS ideastream. http://www.WVIZ.org.

Carla Snyder Joseph-Beth Booksellers hosts Cle-based chef and author Snyder on Wed 4/8 at 7PM. Her 300 Sensational Soups (co-authored with Meredith Deeds) is the definitive collection of recipes for soup lovers; it was named one of the top cookbooks of 2008 on ABC's Good Morning America. Snyder and Deeds have co-authored three other cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-nominated Big Book of Appetizers. 24519 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst. http://www.JosephBeth.com.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Stefanie Spear doesn't just talk about it, she's out making it happen. For 20 years, she's been an activist for sustainability in our region. With EarthWatch Ohio, she's encouraging individuals, businesses and governments to adopt sustainable lifestyles and policies.

Watch this video as Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready talks with Stefanie about her passion, her life's work, and about brining actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. to their Green Gala, where he will speak on his life as a living testament to living green, sharing his ideas on what works, what doesn't, and what will save you money. Listen to our exclusive Cool Cleveland podcast with Ed Begley, Jr. here.

Cool Cleveland is proud to be a co-sponsor of this important and informative event, so watch the video, then consider joining us at the Green Gala on Fri 4/3 at Executive Caterers, with tix available here: http://www.EarthWatchOhio.org

China to Sponsor White House Egg Roll
by Douglas O'Bryon

Washington, DC April 1, 2009

In yet another indication of the nation's deteriorating economic condition, this morning administration officials announced that naming rights for the White House's Annual Easter Egg Roll have been purchased by the People's Republic of China for $235 Billion AND Paula Abdul's seat on Fox's #1 reality TV show American Idol. Holding over $750 Billion in U.S. debt, China has become increasingly concerned that the American economy has become, "A basket case," prompting Beijing officials to make the proactive decision to exchange their financial exposure for some media exposure.

Based on early information from the China Cabinet (which is seldom used and mostly for show), the new event will be rebranded the "Far Easter Egg Hunt" and will feature traditional Chinese events including the Egg Roll, Spring Roll, and the recently unveiled Egg Drop...

Read more from Soundbite Laureate Douglas O'Bryon here

This week's most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

Ed Morrison explains "Some years ago, I was told by a reliable source, an advocate for greater collaboration among libraries had to return money to the local foundations. Nobody wanted to start a conversation on collaboration. Those days, hopefully, are coming to an end since East Cleveland library may team up with the Cuyahoga County system." BFD readers comment:

Read and add your comment on the BFD post Library Collaboration

Got a Handle on Your Carbon Footprint?
The Cleveland Carbon Fund Wants You

There's nothing like a little guilt to force you into action. The Cleveland Carbon Fund, the community-based carbon-reduction fund that was launched earlier this year, offers on its website a carbon footprint calculator. Simple to use, the calculator asks general questions such as the number of people in your household and your gross annual income. From there, you are asked to calculate the number of miles you put on your car each year and your car's MPG, as well as your monthly housing, food and goods and services costs.

The carbon footprint calculator adds up the numbers and gives you an idea of how many tons of carbon dioxide your household is emitting each year; then, it compares that to the local, national and global averages...

Read more from Diane DiPiero here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Volunteers clean up Old Brooklyn.
It takes a lot to get Jeff blogging at 1AM on a Saturday night.
Erie Island Coffee is a great place for a perfect Saturday morning.
A sure sign of spring newly plowed ground.
University Circle breaks ground on its 1st residential community.
Scenes from a film festival.

True 12-String Guitar
Neil Jacobs
Adena Productions

When I think about acoustic guitar, I think Leo Kottke, the Cleveland Institute of Music's Jason Vieaux and those transformative Sounds Of Wood & Steel Windham Hill collections. If any of those options have piqued your interest, you'll thrill at the moving instrumental guitarisms of Neil Jacobs, a central Ohio guitarist who is nothing if not a master of his instrument and craft. He can make a 12-string guitar sound like a quartet of them playing at once; he effortlessly weaves several different musical genres with a striking, Modern Fingerstyle that's sure to send chills up and down your spine. On Jacobs' fifth long-player 12-String Guitar, the critically-acclaimed performer proves again why he's circumnavigated the planet for over 25 years... and how he ended up so in demand...

Read more from Managing Editor Peter Chakerian here

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

Optimus Prime for President @ Fourth Wall Productions 3/18 On the surface, Optimus Prime for President, by Clevelander Margi Herwald Zitelli, appears to be an absurd comedy -- maybe even a farce -- about a group of people who are meeting in their favorite bar after a Cleveland Indians baseball game...
Read more from Roy Berko here

Alarm Will Sound's 1969 @ Cleveland Museum of Art 3/21 Here's a project for you students of history. Pick a watershed year (say 1969, for instance) and choose videos, still photos, readings and musical excerpts to characterize that year. They built 1969 around a meeting between head Beatle John Lennon and innovative composer Karlheinz Stockhausen...
Read more from Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas here

The Marriage of Figaro: Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 3/25 Festivity and magic ruled both onstage and off (a clever magician plied his trade in the lobby) when the Cleveland Orchestra, under the direction of Franz Welser-Most, brought opera back to the Severance Hall stage for the first time since the 1960s...
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

The Comedy of Errors @ Great Lakes Theatre Festival 3/27 The Comedy of Errors, now on stage in repertory at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival, is the only one of The Bard's plays to contain the word comedy in its title. And that, in and of itself, makes it a perfect vehicle for GLTF to produce. First, Charles Fee, Artistic Director of the company, loves comedic farce and does it extremely well...
Read more from Roy Berko here

The Barber of Seville @ OperaCleveland 3/29 The older, sometimes foolish guardian who wants to marry his lovely young ward is a standard plot line in opera. Sometimes it works better than others. When it's The Barber of Seville by the precocious Italian master Gioacchino Rossini, the audience can generally relax, knowing that musically, at least, the result should be excellent...
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

He Must Be Gay
Prejudices of Any Kind are Damaging

Oscar Wilde once wrote that when a person can't out-think or out-debate an opponent, they will often resort to name calling. Disparaging a person is also a tactic used by those harboring feelings of inferiority.

The easiest way to for a small-minded, insecure person to make themselves feel equal to someone who might be more successful, or seems to have a richer, fuller life, is to say something negative about the person... and the more negative, the better.

In the Black community, which is more rampantly homophobic than most, the simplest, and most direct way to accomplish this is by whispering that the person is gay -- or perhaps more pejoratively, "a fag"...

Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 most clicked links from last week's issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) The Future of Cleveland networking party at CSU with execs-in-residence on 4/22. Tix available now.
CoolCleveland.com

2) Are you hip to DeliverMeFood.com? . If not, we KNOW you're gonna wanna click here:
DeliverMeFood.com

3) Warm Weather is Coming... Quintessential (and very cool) Fun to Hold You Over Until Spring.
CoolCleveland.com

4) 3-C Passenger Rail in Ohio Read about the go-ahead to compete for federal stimulus funding for passenger rail.
OhioPassengerRail.ning.com

5) Tom Haley: Forgotten man of Cleveland TV, by Roldo Bartimole.
CoolCleveland.com.

They're HOT and they're our Hard Corps, locked, loaded and ready to rock every week. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Claudia J. Taller, Kelly Ferjutz, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Laura Kennelly, Roy Berko, Mansfield B. Frazier, Roldo Bartimole, Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas. 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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