Hot Days Filled With Cool Cleveland Events
By Maggie Busser

Do not fill the hot, hazy days of summer with hours of indoor lethargy. Why relegate yourself to the air-conditioned world when you spent the entire winter yearning for a warm breeze? Why laze away the days in suburbia when you can immerse yourself in unique urban events? Consider a pleasant amble through one of Cleveland's many distinctive communities or take in some of its exceptional events. Many of them are free, all of them will expand your horizons, and some even offer an excellent antidote to the heat – a taste of cool lemonade, a lick of cold ice cream or even a sip of a chilled martini. Here is information about a few unique opportunities, but be sure to check your community newspaper, CoolCleveland.com and Cleveland.com for dozens of other happenings in the area.

Sparx in the City: Street Beats
With street performances by musicians, break dancers, DJs, stilt walkers, painters, tango dancers, elaborately costumed performance artists and more, this colorful collection of local artists and entertainers engages passers-by with their vibrant talents. Produced for the past four years by the illustrious Susie Frazier Mueller, along with a team of consultants, cultural organizations, media outlets, development companies and government entities, Sparx earned Cleveland a City Livability award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and a statewide Community Impact Award from Dominion.

Occurring now through mid-September, Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Fridays from noon-2 p.m., Sparx events are held in the Gateway District (on East Fourth Street), the Warehouse District and Public Square. For a schedule of performances and a map of locations, visit www.Cleveland.com/Sparx or call (216) 426-7335.

Ingenuity: Cleveland Festival
of Arts and Technology

Taking place July 13-16 in downtown Cleveland, this event features arts in many forms and magnitudes, often fusing with technology. More than 70,000 visitors attended in 2005, the first year of the festival. Primarily taking place at Prospect and East Fourth Street, it features entertainment of all sorts – theater, jugglers, parades, exhibits and poetry slams, to name a handful. Music genres will range from hip-hop to opera, folk to techno, classical to polka and everything in between. Dance will be equally eclectic with ballet, break-dancing, contemporary dancing and more. Of course, you also should check out the food, flowers and stilt walkers, as well as the kids' activities (should you have them in tow). The underlying theme to this mishmash of merriment is technology.

Be sure to show up for the opening ceremonies, which will include the premier performance of Symphony for 1000 Drums in Public Square at 5 p.m. on July 13. Composed by Halim El Dabh, an internationally recognized musician, composer, ethnomusicologist and educator at Kent State University, this work is a composition-in-progress meant to be performed by a veritable orchestra of drums. Halim will conduct the performance from a cherry-picker high above the groups of drummers that hail from throughout Northeast Ohio and all of North America. Occasionally focusing on one group, while bringing all the drummers together in unison at other times, the performance will include international styles (Brazilian, Indian, Japanese, Middle Eastern and more), marching bands, rhythm sections from various bands, pagan community drummers, folk drummers, hip-hop ensembles, steel drums, unique or obscure drums and percussion instruments. Dancers, visual artists and others also will participate. The composition includes themes of balance, beauty, healing, justice and love.

For additional event information, including locations, schedules and admission fees, visit online at www.IngenuityCleveland.com or call (216) 589-9444.

Navigate a Neighborhood

Many local communities organize regular events to encourage folks to meander the streets and explore boutiques, galleries, markets, bakeries and historic sites. Some organize annual events while others open their doors late into the evening on a semi-annual or monthly basis. A portion of these neighborhoods boast a number of watering holes and dining establishments, making it easy to create an entire afternoon or evening of vibrant visuals combined with tasty treasures. If an organized event is not on the schedule, create your own tour. The following list will get you started, but keep in mind that there are even more neighborhoods and events to discover in Cleveland and around all of Northeast Ohio.

Little Italy: Imbued with Old World charm, this east-side neighborhood bursts with galleries, cafés, upscale restaurants and specialty shops. Friendly shopkeepers and intriguing artists invite you to browse and pose questions as you peruse their various wares. Visit during the August 12-15 Feast of the Assumption for an Italian cultural festival of food, music, parades and a street fair. The Murray Hill Art Walk takes place on the first weekends of June and December, as well as during the Sparx Gallery Hop on September 16-17. For more information, visit online at www.LittleItalyCleveland.com or call (216) 795-1870.

Tremont: This neighborhood on the west side of Cleveland is dotted with galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Replete with a beautiful New England-style square called Lincoln Park, the neighborhood is filled with historic houses, churches and business buildings. Many of the businesses participate in the monthly Art Hop taking place on the second Friday of each month. Other events include the Taste of Tremont on July 23 and the Tremont Arts and Cultural Festival during the Sparx Gallery Hop on September 16-17. For more information, visit www.RestoreTremont.com.

University Circle: Explore art, culture, science, history, film, music and more in this east-side neighborhood filled with museums, parks, restaurants and galleries. Wander through the Cleveland Botanical Garden or picnic in one of the many public parks. Visit this neighborhood for Wade Oval Wednesdays through Labor Day. Each week features free live music, as well as delicious food and drink. In addition, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Western Reserve Historical Society remain open Wednesday evenings. For more information, visit www.universitycircle.org or call (216) 791-3900.

Additional “must see” Cleveland neighborhoods include:
Ÿ Gateway Neighborhood in downtown Cleveland: www.HistoricGateway.org or (216) 771-1994.
Ohio City on the west side of Cleveland: www.OhioCity.com or (216) 781-3222.
Ÿ Shaker Square on the east side of Cleveland: www.ShakerSquare.net or (216) 765-8822.
ŸWarehouse District in downtown Cleveland: www.WarehouseDistrict.org or (216) 344-3937.