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Mosdos students let their voices be heard by holding signs which read "Millikin for Mosdos," "Save Millikin School," and "I am a CH-UH student too."
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On Monday, May 14, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education and the city councils of Cleveland Heights and University Heights met in a joint session to discuss the school facilities master plan. Agenda topics included the Millikin School property, the proposed closing of Gearity Professional Development School, and the school facilities master planning process. Also in attendance was Jane Goodman, a member of South Euclid City Council whose ward includes children who attend the CH-UH schools.

One of the new custom-designed bike racks in Coventry Village is located at Coventry Yard, in the southern part of the district. Photo by Ian Hoffman.

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On Thursday, May 10, two new bike racks were installed in Coventry Village.

Before the bike racks were installed, Coventry lacked a designated place for cyclists to leave their bikes. “People would lock them on the fences because there were no real bike racks,” said Ian Hoffman of Heights Bicycle Coalition.

The City of Cleveland Heights is conducting maintenance on ten decorative Coventry fences that have bicycle damage. The fences will cost $200 each for workers to strip, coat, and repaint them. Last August, Hoffman urged the Coventry Village Special Improvement District (SID) to fix this issue. He persuaded the SID to add bike racks on Coventry to encourage bicyclists to come to the area.

Kevin Goodman poses for photo before his big race in Boston.

All that hot yoga at Bikram Yoga in Shaker Heights certainly helped prepare Kevin Goodman for the scorching heat he encountered during the Boston Marathon. As temperatures soared above the mid-80s, and the humidity climbed well beyond a comfortable level, Goodman focused on the task at hand. He wanted to finish this race not only for himself, but also in honor of those battling leukemia or lymphoma, and to thank the many donors who had pledged their support to him in this race.

The Cleveland Historical app guides users through a history of the Heights area.

On Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to noon, FutureHeights, along with the Cleveland Heights Historical Society and Cleveland State University’s Digital Humanities Department, will host An App-Enhanced Walking Tour of the Coventry Village Neighborhood. The tour will start at Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Arch by Coventry Village Library, and will occur rain or shine.

The Cain Park Neighborhood Association (CPNA) will be hosting a picnic in Cain Park on Thursday, May 17, from 6–9 p.m. 

The picnic is open to the public and will take place near the Evans theater ticket office. Those attending are invited to bring their own food and drink, a blanket to sit on and perhaps a Frisbee to throw around. This will be a great opportunity to meet neighbors and to reconnect with the park.

Water damage inside a classroom at Roxboro Elementary School.

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Due to the extensive water damage that was discovered Thursday morning, May 10, at Roxboro Elementary School in Cleveland Heights, the cancellation of all classes and activiites will be extended through Tuesday, May 15.

In a May 11 news release, Angee Shaker, director of communications for the CH-UH City School District, stated, "A water supply line broke on the second floor of the school. Some of our classrooms and hallways had standing water. Because of the time needed to properly dry the floors, replace carpeting, and repair ceilings, work is taking place around the clock so our students and teachers can get back to school."

Roxboro Elementary School was also closed on Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11, because of the water damage.

APRIL 23, 2012

• Master facilities plan
  • Plan history and development
  • Reconfiguration plan
  • Plan costs and financing options
  • Questions and comments from the board

All board members were present (including Ron Register, by phone).

Paul Nosa works his magic. From pnosa.com
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On May 10 and 11, Paul Nosa, an innovative sewing artist, will make his way to some of the most creative places in Cleveland, including both Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights and the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. Nosa, an artist based in Tucson, Ariz., travels across the country with his solar- and bike-powered sewing machine, in his Sewing Tour 2012 Revisited. He uses Kickstarter, the world's largest online funding platform for creative projects. Filmmakers, musicians, artists and designers use the website www.kickstarter.com to showcase their creative projects, and raise funding as well as awareness and support for their projects.

A new appraisal of the Millikin School property requested by the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District estimates the value of the former school building and adjacent "excess land" to be $770,000.

Mosdos Ohr Hatorah, the Orthodox Jewish school that has offered to purchase the Millikin property, commissioned its own appraisal, which estimates the total "as is" value of the property to be $600,000.

The former Millikin Elementary School Building will be a topic at the May 14 meeting. Photo by Chris Hanson.

On Monday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., the CH-UH Board of Education will have its first meeting with the city councils of Cleveland Heights and University Heights to discuss the school facilities master plan. The meeting is open to the public, and will take place at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd.

Mary Dunbar leads a walking tour of the Shaker Farm Historic District in 2011. Photo by Deanna Bremer Fisher.

May is both Bike Month and Preservation Month, so the Heights Bicycle Coalition (HBC) and the Cleveland Heights Historical Society are joining forces for a free lecture and bicycle tour of historic districts in the southern part of Cleveland Heights.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 12, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., and begins at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd. To register, call the Cleveland Heights planning department, 216-291-4878. (Rain date: May 26, same place and time.)

Pizzazz On the Circle. Photo by Richard Stewart.

When David Spiccia told his family he planned to branch out from the family restaurant business and open a second, much larger location, no one considered it a wise move. Twenty years later, Pizzazz On the Circle is one the most popular restaurants in the Heights.

“My family thought I was crazy going from a 50 seater to a restaurant that seats 200 plus,” said Spiccia. “My parents had the place in Mayfield and I wanted to expand, so I put together an investment package, went out and got some investors, and we got it done.”

APRIL 16, 2012

• Fuchs Mizrachi School property
• Resident being sued
• Gearity School
• Gesu boys basketball team
• New finance director
• Julian Rogers to represent UH
• Street resurfacing and marking
• Renewal of notes
• Pension fund transfers
• Height of grass
• Recreational fee changes
• Police department restructuring
• Senior transportation
• Deadline change
• James Zupka, CPA
• Course for realtors

All council members were present.

APRIL 16, 2012

• City manager resigns
• HCC—40 years old
• Constitutional amendment
• Oakwood
• Catch basin cleaning
• National Preservation Month
• Outdoor dining at The Social Room
• Bike Month
• CDBG funds for 2012
• First Energy rates for the city

All council members were present. 

The Harper family includes Elaine, Jasmine, Antonio, Alex and James (L-R). The family focuses both on academics and athletics.

Heights High basketball players Jasmine, Antonio and Alexandra Harper were standout players this year. The girls varsity team was league champion, the boys received the #1 seed in the district tournament and reached the semifinals, and the girls freshman team played a strong season.

Their coaches say the three sibling post players have solid game fundamentals and leadership skills. Their success in basketball is paired with success in the classroom—they each have GPAs higher than 3.0.

Heights High Project Build students complete the foundation of a green house for Community Green House Partners in the Hough neighborhood.

Project Build and the Environmental Club focus on sustainability and community service, providing hands-on volunteer opportunities for students at Cleveland Heights High School. Senior Ariel Travis, a leader in both clubs, seeks to create more service opportunities at the high school. “Both clubs share the same vision and have similar goals. I believe we can do great things together,” Travis said.

Started in October 2011 by Travis and math teacher/club advisor Chris Sutton, Project Build has attracted over 100 volunteers and is one of the fastest-growing clubs on campus.

New friends enjoy a laugh together.
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What happens when stuffed animals are let loose in a library overnight? Heights Libraries found out on Saturday, April 14, at the Stuffed Animal Sleepover at the Lee Road branch.

After a special storytime, kids kissed their stuffed friends goodbye, leaving them alone in the library for a fun-filled night of mayhem and mischief.

On Sunday, kids picked up their friends, along with a photo booklet revealing what had happened overnight while no one was watching.

A unique open house. Photo courtesy Hannah Baldwin.

Keller Williams realtor Chris Hallum hosted a unique open house on April 18 at 2572 Stratford Road in Cleveland Heights. This open house provided not only an opportunity for visitors to tour the home, but also a chance to meet neighbors and local business owners.

Adam Fleischer, owner of the Wine Spot on nearby Lee Road, poured wine for tasting as he answered questions about the community. The team Hallum works with consists of six realtors and one assistant. Five of them were present at the open house.

The 30th Annual Roxboro Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, May 19 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Roxboro Elementary School, 2405 Roxboro Road in Cleveland Heights.

Hosted by the Roxboro Elementary PTA, this year’s festival is expected to bring together more than 400 people from across the Heights community to celebrate the arts, our schools, and our children. It promises to be a fun-filled afternoon for children of all ages, with hands-on arts and crafts activities, games, music, dancing, and food from a variety of local restaurants and cafes, including Mr. Brisket, Mitchell’s Ice Cream, Guy’s Pizza, and more.

Motorcars Toyota's newly remodeled service facility: bring on the domestics.

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The Motorcars family keeps growing, but not with the addition of new personnel or relatives. Instead, Motorcars is growing physically, as their business footprint continues to expand. A year and a half ago, the environmentally friendly Rainforest Car Wash was added to the many services and luxuries offered by the business. This year, Motorcars Toyota completed a remodeling of its service facility, as well as the exterior of the building.

Matt Giles, general manager of Motorcars Toyota said, “Our service department has been growing so rapidly that we were doing our customers a disservice by making them wait as long as a week at times in order to schedule a service appointment. So, we added six express service bays, along with an enclosed four-lane garage for service reception.”

It matters how we live and how we think, says the poet.  It matters to the living, to the here and now, and to our own integrity.

           —Meredith Holmes

Love Is Not Vain

by Cavana Faithwalker

The din coming from the Cleveland State University Recreation Center in mid-March was not the usual squeaking of athletic shoes on the polished wood floor. Instead, the gym was abuzz with 600 students in grades 7–12 from more than 100 public, private and parochial schools in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties. They were there to showcase their work at the 59th annual Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair (NEOSEF).

Clay Rice creates a paper portrait in just a few minutes.

Silhouette artistry has been in Clay Rice's family for more than 80 years. After learning the technique from his South Carolinian grandfather, Carew, Rice traveled throughout the world creating over 900,000 of these classic black paper portraits.

On Friday, May 18, he returns to Sunbeam-a Shop for Children, at 3469 Fairmount Blvd., after a three-year hiatus.

In a matter of minutes, Rice produces an heirloom-quality portrait that a family will treasure forever. People of all ages are fascinated by Rice's skill and speed.

Goodyear's new auto service center in the Heights.

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Although you may have developed the habit of zigzagging around potholes along Taylor and Mayfield roads to avoid further damage, you need not defer vehicle maintenance any longer. There is a not-so-new neighbor in town that will help take care of these vehicular issues. On Saturday, April 21, Goodyear Auto Service Center opened a new location at 3971 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights.  

It was a day of fun, food and prizes in celebration of the grand opening, as David Hinds, the store manager, welcomed new customers. As cars came in for servicing, people learned of the exceptional customer service that was imported along with the new crew.

The cast of HYT's "Chicago" rehearses for their May performances.

Prohibition-era Chicago was overrun by murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery. "Chicago," the dark musical, tells the tale of two of the merry murderesses in the Cook County Jail—Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly. Set in a 1920s speakeasy, John Kander and Fred Ebb’s well-known score gives us Broadway jazz standards, such as "All That Jazz," "Razzle Dazzle" and "Cell Block Tango."

Visit www.heightslibrary.org for the complete calendar, and to register for selected events.

Coventry Village Library

1925 Coventry Road, 216-321-3400

Tuesdays, May 1–15, 4 p.m.
Make Your Own Mad Science. Join in for a three-part series of hands-on experiments and out-of-control fun. For grades 2–5. (Registration required.)

Mosaic class at Heights Arts.

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Heights Arts offers rich opportunities to observe and make art at Heights Arts Gallery and around town. For complete information visit www.heightsarts.org.

Create: Workshops for teens and adults include silk painting with Susan Skove, mosaic with Susan Gallagher, yarn bombing with Carol Hummel, and writing with Cindy Washabaugh. Catherine Butler and Trisha Kenny offer popular kids classes.

Photo by Chris Hanson.

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Severance Town Center has received attention recently as the current home of the Walmart that will be moving to the Oakwood Commons development in South Euclid. For those living or working near the center, this increased attention can present a challenge if people begin to think that the departure of a major tenant represents a turning point in how the center will be maintained.

The Heights Youth Club (HYC) will hold its fourth annual Taste of the Heights fundraiser on Thursday, June 14 from 6–9 p.m., at its club facility at 2065 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. The event will feature food donated by more than 20 local restaurants, a raffle, billiards tournament, and music by the band Hubb's Groove. Proceeds will benefit HYC.

Reaching Heights is looking for instrumental music students who want to spend a week playing great music.

Enrollment is now open for the Heights Summer Music Camp, which will be held from June 18–23 at Wiley Middle School. Reaching Heights started the camp in partnership with the CH-UH City School District in 2005, as an affordable opportunity to energize and develop 10 to 15-year-old musicians, and increase summer opportunities for youths.

Members of the Western Reserve Chorale.

The Western Reserve Chorale (WRC) with guest director David Gilson, will present a concert on June 3 at 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 13001 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights.  Celebrating its 20th season, WRC is a nonprofit group comprising both amateur and professional singers.

A representative from the Clinton Wildlife Center introduces St. Paul's preschool families to their newly adopted snake, Coil.

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People are never too young to make a difference in the lives of others. Learning the value of giving back is an important part of the curriculum at St. Paul’s Cooperative Preschool.

St. Paul's has a long tradition of community outreach and support. The preschool’s latest project let children take on responsibility while experiencing the excitement and satisfaction of helping animals. The children partnered with the Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center, a refuge for animals that are not able to survive in their natural habitat.

After learning about the various animals at the center, the preschoolers voted to adopt Coil, a black rat snake. Coil has been imprinted, meaning that he has grown too accustomed to human interaction to live in the wild.

Richard Kogan, psychiatrist and concert pianist, presents a lecture/recital on Mozart at Mixon Hall. Photo courtesy Richard Kogan.

The Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center will hold its annual benefit event on Saturday, June 23, at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). Richard Kogan, psychiatrist and concert pianist, will present a lecture/recital called “Mozart: The Mind and Music of a Genius.”

The format is a compelling one, in which Kogan will first talk about Mozart’s life, emphasizing his relationship with his father, and will then perform the composer’s “Turkish Rondo” and selections from “Don Giovanni.” The combination of psychobiography and music is intended to deepen the audience’s experience of both.

Richard Kogan is familiar to many Clevelanders from previous performances on behalf of Cleveland psychoanalysis. All of his programs have had the twin focus on “the mind and music” of celebrated classical musicians. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Leonard Bernstein, and most recently, George Gershwin, have been featured in programs over the last 10 years. 

Forest Hill Thunder Run 2012 will take place at 8 a.m., on Saturday, July 21 in Forest Hill Park. This year’s 5k run/walk will benefit FutureHeights, a nonprofit that promotes a vibrant and sustainable future for Cleveland Heights and University Heights through innovative ideas and civic engagement.

As a conscientious recycler, you may have been dropping off batteries, along with other recyclables, at the University Heights Recycling Center. Until March of this year, however, batteries were not recycled; they were thrown out.

As a result of the efforts of one concerned resident, the City of University Heights now recycles all types of batteries, through a program with The Big Green Box—the only company in Ohio that recycles batteries. 

The Cleveland Foodbank understands that times are tough and money is tight for many in Northeast Ohio. To help, the Foodbank started a new benefit outreach program to make the application process quick and easy for more than 20 programs including SNAP (food stamps), prescription benefits, child care vouchers, WIC, medical coverage, and other assistance programs.

Senior Citizen Happenings are sponsored by the City of University Heights. All events take place on Thursdays at 2 p.m., at the University Heights Library.

May 3: Fred Griffith, for 30 years the popular host of “Morning Exchange” on WEWS-TV and “Good Morning” on WKYC-TV, reflects on his broadcasting experience, which has earned him many viewers and lasting esteem in the profession.

Staff members (Julie, pictured) helped Senior Independence Hospice client Francis (at left) bake cupcakes on her birthday.

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Hospice care provides support for terminally ill people and their families. There are several misconceptions about hospice, due to misunderstandings about what hospice is and a common reluctance to think about end-of-life realities. Clearing up these misunderstandings can help families better decide if, how and when to incorporate hospice into the care plan for a loved one.

Hospice care consists of a team of doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, pharmacists, social workers, spiritual counselors, companionship volunteers and bereavement specialists.

Students at Fairfax Elementary School will spend the month of May writing, revising, illustrating and binding their own works of fiction. The first annual Young Authors Conference will center on the theme Journeys, as students create individual tales of trips to places real or imagined.

In 1966, Painesville residents Diana and Ted Woodbridge started their search for a home closer to the city. As they looked for housing in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs, the white couple was steered away from a neighborhood that had recently started to integrate—a distressing artifact of the days of legally sanctioned racial segregation. The experience began a life-changing journey that, five years later, produced a powerful resource for justice that endures today: Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC).

Photo courtesy Nivi Engineer.

Playing in Series A, the premier division, of the Blast Cup in Columbus, the Eastside Kickers U9 Boys took home the gold with a 4-to-2 victory over Project 24 Academy on Sunday, April 15. The Blast Cup draws teams from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.

The finals were played at a pounding tempo, and all 12 players were needed to win the first-ever Blast Cup for the team, which has won 42 games since last fall.

For four decades, the Home Repair Resource Center (HRRC) has worked hand in hand with residents to keep the houses of Cleveland Heights in good repair, amounting to more than $14 million in home improvements, and benefiting both individual homeowners and their neighbors.

To celebrate this milestone, HRRC invites the public to “Raise the Roof: Celebrate 40 Years of HRRC.” This informal benefit party will be held on June 17, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m., at Heights Grill on Lee Road. The celebration will recognize the organization’s history and impact, acknowledge key partners, and look ahead to HRRC’s next decades.

This Quick Response (QR) code will be displayed by Cedar Lee businesses to direct the district's visitors to the new Cedar Lee mobile site and business directory.
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By the end of May, visitors to the Cedar Lee district should begin to notice Quick Response (QR) codes displayed in shop windows. Those who scan the square barcodes with their phones will be directed to a new mobile site that aims to inform passers-by about local events and perhaps help them choose their next destination, according to Kelley Robinson, director of the Cedar Lee Special Improvement District (SID).

“We’re finding a lot of people are creatures of habit and come to the district but will often go to the same places,” Robinson said, noting that while most people recognize the Cedar Lee Theatre, non-Eastsiders who visit might not know where to find Anatolia Café, for example. The primary purpose of the new QR code and mobile site is to encourage visitors to check out businesses they don’t usually frequent. 

The construction of new and renovated public schools in Cleveland Heights and University Heights may represent the single largest investment in our communities over the next several decades. This is an important issue—one I’ve been following since summer 2010, when the school district asked me to join the Citizens Facilities Committee—and it is a good example of how FutureHeights uses various tools to encourage civic engagement. (Full disclosure: I am the parent of a CH-UH kindergartener who will be affected by this process.) 

During the month of May, original artwork by the Heights High School faculty is on display at the Harvey & Friends Bookshop on the second floor of the Lee Road Library. All pieces are available for sale.

The City of Cleveland Heights is now posting video of council meetings and public hearings on its own YouTube channel. Go to www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandHeightsOH to view video of recent council meetings. Subscribe to receive notices of new postings.

“I don’t get a second chance to do this,” said Kal Zucker, CH-UH school board member, at the April 23 work session, where master facilities Plan C was presented to the board of education (BOE). The BOE acknowledged that residents are voicing opinions on what they are willing to support. I believe the BOE grasps the gravity of the situation and understands the need for broad-based community support before a final plan is placed on the ballot.

I commend the BOE for questioning the position that only two options exist: Do nothing and continue to let the district bleed; or implement Plan C, a bold, large-scale plan that many in the community perceive as divisive and expensive.

May is National Preservation Month and this year’s theme is “Discovering America’s Hidden Gems.” Here in Cleveland Heights, one month isn’t enough to celebrate all of the city’s hidden gems, so this year we’re stretching it a bit—starting in early May and continuing into July.

Preservation Month 2012 will feature seven free events co-sponsored by the Cleveland Heights Landmark Commission, Cleveland Heights Historical Society, Heights Libraries, FutureHeights, Heights Bicycle Coalition and Home Repair Resource Center.

With gasoline prices near $4 a gallon, using a bicycle for transportation is more attractive than ever. In addition to the economic advantages, cycling is a great way to exercise while also doing errands or commuting to work.

In city traffic, cycling can be almost as fast as driving a car. The average new-to-cycling woman can ride one mile in 5-6 minutes, which means she can cover 10-12 miles in an hour. More experienced cyclists can ride at 15-18 mph.

For the third year in a row, Cleveland Heights City Council has declared May Bike Month. Each year, the array of Bike Month activities in our city and region has grown.

The heart of Bike Month is Bike-to-Work Week, May 14–18. Highlights include Bike-to-Work Day and the annual Ride of Silence to honor those killed while riding their bicycles.

Cleveland Heights's website, www.clevelandheights.com, has a fresh, new look and has been reorganized to help residents, prospective residents, visitors and businesses find the information they need. This comprehensive website also includes additional sites for Cain Park, the Police Department, and Parks and Recreation. In addition, online registration for recreation programs will be available with the next season of classes. 

On April 16, University Heights City Council voted to approve, on second reading, a purchase agreement with The Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School. The purchase price of $600,000 will be paid on a three-two-one schedule, with $300,000 due at closing. The vote was 6 to 1, with Vice Mayor Frankie Goldberg abstaining due to a conflict of interest.

Members of the Heights High Class of 1978 enjoyed pancakes and good times at their alma mater during the 16th annual CHHS Alumni Foundation Scholarship Pancake Breakfast on April 22.

Overcast with gray skies meant green for the black and gold with almost 500 people attending the Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation’s 16th annual Scholarship Pancake Breakfast on April 22. Located in the cafeteria and social room at Heights High, attendees enjoyed the all-you-can-eat pancakes prepared by flapjack artisan Chris Cakes, orange juice from Whole Foods Market, and coffee prepared by Restless Coffee. Volunteers from the Cleveland Heights–University Heights Public Library helped staff the serving line, while members of CHHS Student Council gave guided tours of Heights High. Some alumni had not been back to their alma mater in years, making the tours all the more special.

Residents review the transition plan at the April 18 school facilities meeting. Photo by Deanna Bremer Fisher.
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The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District presented a third iteration of its facilities master plan to the public on April 18. Plan C, the “Community Plan,” responds to concerns raised about the previous options (Plans A and B). Plan C maintains all three middle school sites and adds an elementary school (Boulevard); however, it still calls for the closing of three elementary schools—Fairfax, Noble and Gearity (University Heights’s only elementary school).

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The Coventry Street Fair has been postponed until 2013, but enhanced programming for the Coventry Music and Movie Summer Series aims to keep the community engaged, according to Steve Presser, marketing and publicity director for the Coventry Village Special Improvement District (CVSID).

“We’re going to program more things during the evening,” he explained. “What we want to do is bring positive activities to the Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park and get the community to come together and celebrate our neighborhood.”

BottleHouse owners Brian Benchek and Dave Schubert.

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A new place to gather has arrived on Lee Road. The long-anticipated BottleHouse Brewery opened Tuesday, May 1, and owners Brian Bencheck and Dave Schubert invite all to celebrate and see what this microbrewery and “brew-on-premise” facility offers.

Bencheck and Schubert wanted to create a place close to home, to brew good beer. The brewery is family friendly, with a laid-back atmosphere. There is a gathering area for conversation, light music and entertainment. Local groups are encouraged to come and use the space.

Andrew Auten
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Open Office, a shared office and meeting room space for freelancers, mobile workers and other small business owners, is the latest tenant to open in the former Coventry School building. For a monthly full-time or part-time membership fee, Open Office offers individual office space, meeting rooms, and collaboration areas.

Volunteers are needed for spring clean-up day at Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Park on Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., rain or shine. Help clean up the park, garden and make repairs. Tools, gloves, snacks, beverages and guidance will be provided.

Coventry P.E.A.C.E Park is the playground at the former Coventry Elementary School in Cleveland Heights. It was built in 1993 using funds raised and donated by area residents. Coventry P.E.A.C.E., the volunteer organization that cares for the park, hosts a twice yearly clean-up and maintenance event. 

Kelsey Ferguson. Photo by David Perelman-Hall.

Each fall Cleveland Heights High School seniors sign up to audition for the coveted senior soloist spots in the instrumental music department (IMD) season programs. One of the honored seniors this year is Kelsey Ferguson who will be on stage playing Mendelssohn’s "Violin Concerto in E minor" at a symphony concert on Friday, May 4.

A daughter of two music professionals, Ferguson began playing piano at age three and took up violin in fourth grade as a part of the CH-UH school district music program. She is now excited to be working with her friends and peers in the Heights High Orchestra.

Ferguson has especially appreciated how the orchestra's director, Daniel Heim, treats her as a professional, asking for collaborative input and responding to her cues as a soloist.

Book cover: Harvey Pekar's Cleveland.
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A book release party for Harvey Pekar's Cleveland will take place on Tuesday, May 1st at 7 p.m. at the Big Dog Theater, 2781 Euclid Heights Blvd. in Cleveland Heights. The event is co-sponsored by Mac's Backs-Books on Coventry and Big Dog Theater.

Harvey Pekar's Cleveland is both a history of the city and a valentine to Cleveland by one of the pioneers of the graphic novel. The book is illustrated by Joseph Remnant, a contributor to Smith Magazine's online "Pekar Project." It is published in a unique collaboration between Top Shelf and Zip Comics.

"It's a privilege to publish one of my idols, especially a graphic novel with such breathtaking art by Joseph who really hit it out of the park, in this case Cleveland's Progressive Field," said Josh Frankel, president of ZIP Comics.