Summer heats up on Coventry

Coventry Village, the street known for its eclectic mix of merchants and patrons, will host a number of fun-filled events this summer designed to celebrate the artist and free spirit in all of us. The Coventry Village Special Improvement District (SID) will sponsor two arts festivals, a music and movie series, and a pie fight.

This year’s Coventry Village Street Arts Fests will be bigger and better than ever. According to Steve Presser, marketing director for the Coventry Village SID, organizers are expecting a huge turnout. "We’ve moved the festivals from a weekday to a Sunday and expanded the hours," he said, adding that "it’s still free, family oriented and open to the public."

The two festivals will be held on Sunday, June 26, and Sunday, July 24, from noon to 6 p.m., and will feature dance, music and drum circles, said Presser. "The Cleveland Museum of Art and the Progressive Arts Alliance are just two of the organizations we are partnering with this year. We’ll have giant puppets, Flower Clown, jugglers, stilt walkers, a local farmers market, artists, arts and crafts, and a variety of musicians all along the street."

Coventry merchants will hold sidewalk sales and host special events. Neighborhood restaurants will also offer specials.

A new feature of the festival is a main stage at the north end of Coventry that will host an exciting mix of bands. There will be two music sessions, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. During the break, from 2 to 4 p.m., Passport Project will present a dance performance.

There will be plenty of opportunities for festival attendees to support the activities. The Coventry Village SID is considering enabling residents to donate online, holding a 50/50 raffle, and placing a donation box at the festival. "As always, funding is tight," said Presser, "but the festival will remain free, and we appreciate the goodwill of this community in helping us keep it that way."

Thursday evenings, from June 23 through Aug. 4, the Coventry Village SID will host a music and movie series at Coventry P. E.A.C.E. Park. The evenings will start with music at 7:30 p.m., followed by a movie at 9 p.m.

"Not all of the movies are chosen yet," said Presser, "but the series kicks off with ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on June 23. On Thursday, June 30, we will show ‘Madagascar.’ On July 7, we will show an independent film to help celebrate Independents Week, which promotes the locally-owned, independent merchants who make our community unique."

On July 21, Coventry P. E.A.C.E. Park will be the site of the notorious pie fight. "It lasts about 30 seconds," said Presser, "but there’s nothing that’s more fun than hitting your friends—and total strangers—in the face with a whipped cream-filled pie crust."

"Coventry Village is always looking for volunteers for our summer events and sponsorships are greatly appreciated," said Presser. For more information, contact him at steve@bigfunbigfun.com.