The Waning Days of Summer

We don't need a calendar to know summer's ending. The nights are cool. Goldenrod and Autumn Splendor are replacing the Cone Flowers, and the annuals planted in May are waning. School buses cross our paths on our way to work and everyone's revved up about football. Labor Day means the closing of neighborhood pools and the last big backyard barbecues. But Labor Day weekend in Cleveland means big time events.

The 2009 Cleveland National Air Show, this year presented by Discount Drug Mart, will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Burke Lakefront Airport Saturday through Monday. Cleveland's first Air Show captured the citizenry's imagination for ten days in 1929 and has been a tender tradition ever since. The first Cleveland Air Show opened with a parade that drew 300,000 people to line Euclid Avenue while three Goodyear blimps hovered above the excitement. At speeds of up to 500 miles an hour and sometimes within three feet of each other, the “Ambassadors in Blue” will perform an hour-long choreographed show each day. Franklin's Flying Circus “pirated skies” act and the gyroscopic aerobatics of Skip Stewart join a dozen other acts in the sky while other aircraft will be on display on the ground. For tickets, schedule of events, and other information, go to http://www.clevelandairshow.com/.

If you're looking for some Air Show energy before the show, check out Gillespie's Map Room, which is hosting an opening party on Friday night. The casual eatery and drinking spot is located at 1281 West 9th Street (east side of the street) in the Warehouse District. The event gives the public the opportunity to meet the pilots and others involved in the Air Show, and admission is free. But you'll be tempted by the Map Room's extensive beer list and pizza, so take your wallet. Detailed Air Show History appears on their website: http://maproomcleveland.com/air-show.html

Although Gillespie's is a cool pub to hang out in, you can stay outdoors if you head over to the Taste of Cleveland at the Time-Warner Cable Amphitheater. Taste some wine, drink some beer, and sample the food of 30 area restaurants. If you time it right, you can have music with your dinner--Peter Frampton on Friday, Lita Ford on Saturday, Billy Squier on Sunday, or our own Michael Stanley on Monday. Food and beverage package tickets are available on the amphitheater's website (http://www.livenation.com), but can be purchased at the gate for $8 for the 14th annual event. For $25, one receives admission to Taste of Cleveland, $10 worth of food and beverage tickets, as well as nightly entertainment.

If you haven't done it yet, and you're downtown during the day on Saturday, you really should take advantage of the Detroit-Superior Bridge tour, available from 9 am until 3 pm on Saturday. Free parking is available at the County Engineer's Bridge Garage near the tour's entrance, and the tour is completely free. It's hard to describe how it feels to walk along the lower level of the bridge where the cable cars used to run--with the water below the steel grating, one feels suspended over the water. The last time I toured the bridge, we saw a film and pictures of the old cable cars, and stopped at the adjacent trolley car museum. It was a window to a long-ago world. The 2009 Veterans Bridge and Subway tour are only offered twice a year--and this is it for 2009--so take an hour to feel a bit of Cleveland's history this weekend.

Of course, you could stop by the Great Lakes Brewing Company, the Old Angle, the Bier Markt, or any one of a number of Ohio City places. Or be transported into eclectic Tremont to eat at Parallax or one of the other more upscale places. Stay downtown and eat at the Blue Point Grille in the Warehouse District or travel through University Circle and up Mayfield to eat dinner on historic Guarino's patio in Little Italy.

Or you can head out to the Fairgrounds in Berea for some fun at the Berea Oktoberfest (http://www.bereaoktoberfest.com). Sure, there will be beer and music in the Bier Garden, but did you know there's a microbrew competition? It looks like all of the Cleveland-area breweries, from Willoughby to North Ridgeville, will be taking part, and you'll need to do your part by sampling the beers and voting. The food should be excellent--Schmidt's of German Village in Columbus, Der Braumeister of Cleveland, and Seven Roses will show off their culinary skills. The Berea Oktoberfest offers chicken paprikash, potato pancakes, bratwurst, and many other Old World food experiences. If food isn't enough to entice you to the Fairgrounds, consider the art market, dog races, marionettes, auto shows, and music available with the price of admission.

It looks like we'll all be busy this weekend because there's too much to do in one day. I think we need our entire weekend, and some good weather, to enjoy all there is to do in Cleveland this Labor Day Weekend. The end of summer should be fun.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia Taller, whose passion for words has led to creation of the Lakeside Word Lover’s Retreats, an outgrowth of her work with Skyline Writers. Her favorite foods are red wine, salmon, ice cream, and chocolate. She loves to read, write, tour wineries, ride her bike, ease into yoga, and cook gourmet meals for friends. Find her at http://www.claudiatallermusings.blogspot.com.

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