Gloria Ferris

What a show!  The Drums drumming down Euclid Avenue led by Marcos Santos were incredible.  Who knew that those drummers would exorcise the “rain demon” that plagued last year’s festival.  A whirlwind flew down Euclid Avenue accompanied by its own drummers of pelting rain.  Canopies flew and people ran but it was gone as quickly as it descended.  Everyone ventured back out on to the street, quickly setting things right, and going on with the show.  What an incredible group of people-the vendors, the volunteers, the restauraters and their staffs and even festivalgoers pitched in to straighten out the street so that the show could go on.  Amazing!

 But that was only a small part of it,  the NASA Glenn Exhibits, the photos inserting my own face inside of the space suit of an astronaut standing on the moon,  Sarah Morrisson’s Dance Troupe, The Audio TuTus,  The Breuer Tower exhibit up at 12th Street, “The Fire Inside”  the extended hours of the delis, coffeeshops, and restaurants along Euclid, the smell of the fried veggies, the fat, juicy sausages, the incredible gyros, the $4.00 GLB brews, the people dancing and drumming up Euclid, the spectators joing in the celebration, and then, and then…

There were the incredible smiles on the faces of the children who attended yesterday’s festival.  To me, those smiles were the crown jewel of this festival. Family after family strolled past our Meet.The.Bloggers booth in the anteroom between the State and Palace Theatres. I engaged quite a few of them in conversation as they stopped to see what the spaceships on the table were all about and how did they work.  Many of them lost their curiosity when told they were microphones and not spaceships, but I didn’t lose mine.  Without hesitation, I would ask them what they had seen and what they like best.  One little girl said dancing down the street with the drummers.  A little boy who played chess with a man dressed like a robot.  It was someone dressed like a robot, wasn’t it? I’ll never tell.  The other young man who had decided that he wanted to go to the moon because he wouldn’t weigh anything at all.  There was a little girl fascinated with the audio tutus.  She wanted to know where she could buy a skirt just like it.

But maybe, the best thing about it was the thankful demeanor of the parents who could not believe their good luck.  Each one of them paid $5 to see everything, and every child 12 and under was free. By far, the best deal for family entertainment in Cleveland for the summer.  They all were amazed at how there was so much for everyone in the family.  The little ones were as engrossed as the older ones.  And there was plenty for them to do as well.  And the kids weren’t bored. 

I guess in a nutshell this festival appeals to the child in all of us.  There is so much to learn, to experience, and to dream about right here in the middle of a construction zone.  That it isn’t hard to believe in Cleveland!   A big “hats off” to the Ingenuity Festival!

My apologies for not providing links to each and every one of the incredible contributors to this festival, but I am very slow at that and I would be here until midnight, only a slight exaggeration, and I would miss one whole incredible day of this festival,  See you there! 

What do a librarian, a magician and a Broadway playwright have in common? They all lived in Cleveland and they’re all featured in this year’s Brooklyn Centre Garden Party—“Magic, Mystery, and Millionaires.” Come and see famous characters in Cleveland’s past portrayed by costumed narrators. Stroll through the grounds and see who’s who in our history. Enjoy musical entertainment in the Victorian Chapel, and relax in the shade with a glass of lemonade. Find out about Ohio’s native plants, make a mask with local artists, hear the latest about the Ohio and Erie Canal project, visit with our friends from the Zoo, and see what makes Riverside Cemetery one of Cleveland’s must-see places.

Ticket prices are as follows: Advance, $5 senior, $8 adult, $20 family of four; Day of Tour, $7 senior, $10 adult, $25 family of four. Call 216-351-0254 to reserve your tickets or for more information.

And here is another version as it appeared in CoolCleveland this week: Sunday, June 10th, 1:00-5:00 p.m., Brooklyn Centre Garden Party, Riverside  Cemetery, 3607 PearlRoad, at I-71.  Costumed narrators will tell the stories of famous “residents” of the cemetery. Musical entertainment, light refreshments, and kids’ activities. Learn the history of this beautiful resting place and stroll through the landscaped grounds.  Local organizations will have booths featuring various gardening techniques, plus adoptable animals.Call 216-351-0254 for details and advance tickets, or get tickets at the door.

A group of friends and neighbors have been working very diligently on this project since the cold winter months.  And now, this Sunday where it is predicted that we will have one of the beautiful late spring days that keep us all here, the show will be unveiled.  This project has taken on a character all its own.  We have received much free publicity, help from all kinds of sources, and a lot of good will.  We have had such a good time putting this event together that if those of you who attend have half the fun, it will have been well worth it. 

So it’s my phone number on the banner at the gates of the cemetery and everywhere else our advance publicity has appeared—the Plain Dealer, Cool Cleveland, The Sun News, doctor’s offices, websites, coffee shops and more places than I am aware. So if you haven’t made plans for the weekend or even if you have, consider doing something just a bit different and come to a garden party. Oh, did I tell you that kids are more than welcome. Art House will be there making masks with the kids, one of our Cleveland Public Library librarians will be there to read to the young ones, and there will be a virtual scavenger hunt that they can play alongside their parents while taking the tour.

And as I told someone on the phone yesterday, reserve your tickets now, and pick them up at will call just like downtown, at the Playhouse.

I had to chuckle when I read about the kids in Gahanna placing a Big Boy likeness on the roof of their school. When reading about the forklift and manpower needed to rescue Big Boy from his perch and return him to his rightful place, I couldn’t help but wonder how those kids got him up there. They certainly didn’t have access to the equipment that took him down.

And then, I remembered the senior prank of 1968 and how the adults in our lives hadn’t a clue as to how a bunch of us plunked down a boulder that easily weighed who knows how much in the middle of the grassy oval encircled by our high school drive. I wasn’t involved in the placing of the rock, but my best friend Beth and I had a ringside seat as to what transpired later.

When we arrived at school that day, we were greeted by this purple behemoth outside the school doors. Everyone was wondering how in the world it got there and who had put it there. We, in the senior class, of course, suspected the usual gang of players, Mike, Barney, Charlie, Zarlengo, and a girl named Stan. Our class was always into equal opportunity. But, back to my ringside seat to the unfolding show. Beth and I had a class on the first floor at eye level with the oval. It was called Home Management or something like that and was for students that had all the credits they needed to graduate but wanted another “A’ under their belts. Needless to say, boredom was the word of the day.

So when Beth nudged me, I immediately turned my head to see what had caught her attention. Lo and behold, there was our esteemed principal, “Howie” as we so affectionately called him when he was not in earshot, circling the huge boulder warily. To this day, I can see him gingerly eyeing that rock up and down, but I still have no clue as to why he would up and kick something so hard and with such vehemence. It was like he wanted it to sail into the sky, so he wouldn’t have to deal with it any more. Obviously, he thought it was one of the papier mache “rocks” that had been showing up everywhere inside the school.

Each year, the junior class sponsors the Junior Senior prom. This year’s class theme was “Subterranean Gardens” Hence, the dayglo “rock” garden throughout the school. I always wondered if the sophomore class was irreparably harmed by having to wear those caveman outfits. The junior class sponsored and paid for the prom and banquet, the sophomores served as the waitstaff for the banquet and the seniors reaped the rewards of having done it the year before for that senior class. It fostered a sense of community and collaboration that I think is missing today with these “over the top” expensive things we call “proms” . But, I digress. Maybe some day I will relate how the banner from “Riverboat Rhapsody” showed up at our tenth year reunion and how it has made it to every class reunion since that one. But, right now, back to the school prinicipal hopping around the oval holding his foot and howling in pain. By this time, everyone in our class had abandoned their seats and stood looking out onto the scene aghast knowing that our class will again know his wrath.

We realized that there was no sense in denying that members of the senior class had been involved because scrawled across the face of the rock was the phrase “Class of ’68″. What we didn’t know was Barney had taken care of damage control. We had had a love-hate relationship with our principal since we were freshmen and it had only been getting worse as graduation loomed closer. He would be glad to see the doors close on our class, but no more than we would be glad to be shed of him and his arcane rules and regulations that we never seemed to be able to get right. For instance, what is so wrong with adding a rock in a grassy oval that earlier that week had nothing but grass and a mud hole where the rock now sat. A lot of schools have rocks that rival schools paint and classes paint, and back and forth and on and on.

But, no. Not for our school. Nothing new and different and certainly not something that our class would leave behind as a gift. Not fifteen minutes later, he was on the PA system vowing to find those responsible and demanding others to turn them or the senior class would pay for the damage done. As far as we could see there was no damage except to his ego, and that was his own fault. Barney was the only one of us who kept his cool during this tirade. Apparantly, he had known we would need some press about the event if they were going to stay in school and the rest of us were not going to have to pay for the removal of the rock, essentially, cancelling our Senior Party. The press heeded Barney’s call and The Daily Record photographer arrived in the nick of time.

Each year the senior class gives a gift to the school in appreciation of our education and years at the institution. Our class had given our “senior” gift when we were freshman along with the other three classes that year. We bought the sign that sits in front of the school. Each year, the principal suggested we buy something else for the school. I had been the class treasurer our freshman year and was the one who always piped up at class meetings that we had already given our “senior” gift. One year we gave in and bought “lounge” furniture for the lobby hoping to keep the rest of our money for a Senior Class Party. Who knew that the rock that had nestled quite comfortably in a creek bed would serve as probably the greatest gift we could have given to our school.
Nearly forty years later, “grunk” still sits where he was placed in 1968. Over the years, benches and a brick paths have joined him as well as trees, shrubs, and flowers. And, periodically, another school sneaks in and splashes him with their colors, but it isn’t long before he returns to his bright purple color. And so, he stands as a reminder to adults who deal with teenagers that sometimes it is okay to reconsider the “rules” and the “order” that is needed because you may just create a bond that survives across the years, and what some considered a “prank” just might be come a “tradition”.

Just arrived home from our first Meet The Bloggers interview held at Gypsy Beans and Baking Company located at 6425 Detroit Avenue.  What a welcoming and warm place!  Although its been open just about three weeks, it has such a homey atmosphere you would think that its always been there just waiting for you to discover it.  I know better.  When I first moved to Cleveland, I lived just around the corner on Franklin Boulevard so I know that it was a Leader Drugstore in the 1970s and if memory serves me right I think it had always been a pharmacy.  Someone with a longer history in Cleveland than me can correct me if I am all wrong on that fact.

But then back to this conversation with an old friend.  We had a a great conversation with County Treasurer Jim Rokakis.  He is not old; he will always be younger than me, but he has been a friend since 1978.  So, he is in that sense “old”. Jim Rokakis was my councilman in 1983 when he introduced me to the “notorious” Tim Ferris who later became my husband. Jim’s wife, Laurie, had the most incredible baby shower for me before our daughter was born.  So yeah, there is a soft spot for this couple, but it does not alter the fact that we should be very thankful that Cleveland and the county has this man as an elected official.

Jim is articulate and passionate about the people who live in Cleveland.  Although he represents the county, he remembers his roots in Cleveland and works to make things better for the least of us while helping others attract wealth to our region as a whole.  He is a thoughtful, intelligent public servant that wants to see the city where he grew up prosper and survive tough times and benefit from new and innovative ideas.

It has been a long time since I sat at a table with him and discussed problems and solutions.  Jim is a doer, not just a talker, but what a conversationalist.  He loves conversation, and he has a great sense of humor, but he also takes action.  He works with others to make things better for us all.  Listen to our podcast with him on Meet The Bloggers as soon as George can get it posted, and judge for yourself.  Want another reason to be thankful here in Cleveland?  We have Jim Rokakis looking out and working for us.

These Ohio “learn” and Earn ads are misleading to say the least.  Anyone, here in Northeast Ohio would believe that this Issue 3 is all about education and not about what it truly is.  Sadly, even our own newspaper, public officials, and bussinessmen have joined in this subterfuge of this issue being about education.

The truth is: it is about gambling, gambling, gambling. And remember, that if it is voted in to the constitution, it will be probably be there forever.

250 words spell out the scholarship portion that has more ifs than absolutes.  If appointed Board of Regents  establishs the criteria, it will move to the state legislature. If the state legislature votes it into law, the scholarship fund will begin.  If the gambling revenues meet expectations, the scholarship funds will begin for the  state’s children. If the brightest 5% of Ohio’s students want to stay in the state of ohio to go to school their tuition will be paid.  If those same students leave the state, they will probably receive FULL scholarships that include room and board, books, etc. If the revenues meet expectations, other students in Ohio will be able to tap their scholarship funds for tuition only.

Now for the 1950 other words in the constitution.  Licensing fees are a designated dollar amount.  Seven race tracks and their owners and two development families in Cleveland, The Jacobs and Ratner families will benefit.  Licensing fees are a designated dollar amount. No other taxes or fees may be levied on these slots parlors other than the ones specified.  The revenues exceed expectations and the racing industry that has been slowly dying is injected with Geritol for a few years.  The revenues exceed expectations and the Jacobs family and Ratner family development corporation receives more profit.  The revenues don’t exceed expectations, the race track owners just continue to have more losses that mount.  The Jacobs and Ratner Families offset the losses with the gains from the other development projects they have in the nation.

And now answer these questions for me:

Who pays for the increased safety forces needed to protect the patrons and the venues?  Is it the city of Cleveland whose safety forces are already stretched too thin?

Who controls the economic development dollars that our county gets?  Is it the three commissioners who think that this Issue is all about education?  Do you want our economic future decided by them?

Why did the NAACP and the ministers of our churches come out against this “education program”? 

Are any economic benefits outweighed by the social costs of gambling?

Why did the Ohio State Board of Trustees come out unanimously against the Issue when their institution would benefit from the “scholarship” program?

Why did the Columbus Chamber of Commerce come out against the measure?  And point of information, Beulah Park and Scioto Downs both are domiciled in the Columbus area so that whole idea of that they are upset because their region would not benefit while ours would is bunk.

Why does Louisiana now admit that the fascination with gambling in the Nineties has done more to hinder economic development in that state than to help?

Why is Detroit still struggling if gambling will solve all economic ills in an urban area?

What happens to our local merchants and small businesses that will close because of the competition of “get rich quick”  with your $50 of disposable income?

I will vote “NO” on Issue 3 not because I am morally against gambling I am not, but because there are too many unanswered questions. My mom and dad taught me years ago that when I asked questions and couldn’t get answers to walk away.  I am walking away from this one because I don’t see how this baby can fly and NO ONE has been able to explain to me how it will. 

Remember the smell of that first box of crayons, using a protractor to create angles, or writing that first story on clean, fresh paper with a pencil with a sharp, sharp point.  Wouldn’t it be great to help other kids create those kinds of memories in their life?       

 Well, you can by helping make the Broadway Community School Fair a success.  Each year Sandy Charles and her crew at University Settlement have made the school year a little less stressful for parents at or below the poverty line in the Broadway area by providing school kits to schoolchildren ages 5 to 16.  In previous years, they have passed out 1500 boxes of school supplies to these children.

This year they plan to have a school fair on August 18th to pass out the boxes to the kids, but the boxes just might not be there.  Each year Ford Motor Company and their employees partnered with University Settlement and provided approximately 1000 boxes of the ones distributed.  Late last week, a Ford Motor representative called Sandy to tell her she will be receiving 300 boxes not the 1000 she had come to expect.  The reasons are many, the economy, early retirement, only one person left of a committee of several.  The reasons don’t really matter.  The bottom line is that University Settlement is approximately 700 boxes short of the goal.

Each school box contained a ream of paper, a binder, 2 or 3 folders, a pack of pencils,  all the things a student ready to learn needs at the beginning of a school year.  of course, the younger students need crayons, the older students need protractors and compasses.  The average cost of each school box averages out to around $15.  Do the math and you come up with a $10,000 figure.

i told Sandy that I would post her plight on the internet and ask for your help.  Checks help, but also donation of supplies would help.  If any of you know of a way to get donations of supplies to Sandy and her kids, or could get her supplies at wholesale prices rather than retail, or have some dollars to donate to a very good cause, please contact her using the information below.  I told her that many of us often talk about how to help in a meaningful way and this would be a very, very meaningful way.  I told her that many of us own businesses or belong to organizations that may be able to help.  So I have told you the problem, and know that many of you will help with a solution.  I know that this is a short fuse but she needs donations early next week (August 14th) so that she and her volunteers will have the time needed to buy supplies and make up the school boxes for the school fair next Saturday, August 18th. 

Here is Sandy’s contact information.  Sandy Charles, Director Hunger Programs and Volunteer Coordinator, 4800 Broadway, Cleveland, OH 44127.  Phone number 216-641-8948 ext. 236  FAX 216 641-7971.  email:scharles@universitysettlement.net.

Yesterday I read this article in the Plain Dealer that “the independent Bond Accountability Panel” is being brought back to act as the public watchdog for the building and rehabilitation campaign for the Cleveland Municipal School District.  Our appointed School Board has asked the administration of the school district to find the money to finance the committee.  Today, I am still wondering how a commission funded by the very institution that they are watching can be considered “independent”.  

We held our first meeting to discuss a WIFI neighborhood at The Ugly Broad on Sunday June 25th.  Many thanks to Bill Callahan, Steve Goldberg, Councilman Brian Cummins or as he referred to himself Resident Brian Cummins and the seven other people who attended this inaugral meeting to see and hear about the possiblity of creating a WIFI neighborhood here in Brooklyn Centre.

The bottom line is that it is doable.  The only question is how big will it become. From the information that we received from Steve and Bill, we decided that the best way to start this thing is to do it organically and see how it grows.  If and when it begins to grow larger and larger, then we will add the organizational piece to the plan.  At the end of the meeting, there were four of us interested in installing attennas that will enable us to share broadband with our neighbors.

Our next step is as follows. I will be scheduling a meeting with Steve Glodberg for these four “geeks” who will discuss the nuts and bolts of how to set up your internet base for sharing.We will then know the costs involved, the maintenance, and the other details needed to set one of these “spots” in motion.

So, when we hold  a more comprehensive meeting for the Brooklyn Centre WIFI Neighborhood on July 25th at the McDonald’s at the corner of Pearl and Denison at 7 p.m. we will have more concrete and definite steps including how to do it what it will cost, and how we can begin to form our web in the neighborhood.  McDonald’s has WIFI by the way for those of you interested in taking advantage of it.

I personally learned a lot by attending this meeting and I would suggest to anyone that it is worth your time and effort to attend one of these meetings just to see what could be available to all of us right here in our neighborhood.

One of the things I learned was that WIFI stands for Wireles Fidelity. Didn’t know that and now I do.  If anyone wants to attend the “nuts and bolts” meeting before the July 25th McDonald’s meeting, please let me know and I will send you the details.

Sunday, June 25th at 2 p.m. you are all invited to The Ugly Broad at 3908 Denison Avenue to find out.  Bill Callahan of Brooklyn Centre and Steve Goldberg of Tremont will be on hand to explain the operation of wifi neighborhood and how a group of us committed to bringing it to our neighborhood can do that very thing. 

If any of you haven’t ever heard me speak on this issue, here is what I think. You may think differently, but please feel free to dream a bit and see where you think WIFI can take us.  We are entering an age of a knowledge economy where many of us will be left behind.  Specifically, young people in urban neighborhoods because they do not have the opportunities afforded to other young people.  CJ Prentiss in her interview with Meet The Bloggers talked intelligently and passionately about this very topic.  Those of you reading this post can now very easily click your mouse and go to that site and become better informed.  Knowledge is power.

Many of our community do not have that option.  By becoming involved in creating an environment of a connected community, you will gain something too.  Faster internet access, cheaper rates, and the ability to help others to gain accessibility are only a few of the advantages.  Come to our meeting and discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of becoming a connected community. Needless to say, I am having a hard time identifying

Once we set up our grid of charter members, we will then be able to widen the net of our grid and include more people.  I see elderly people who will feel more connected to each other and to us.  I see students with opportunities that they didn’t have before.  If any of you have ever seen the line of students waiting to use the computers at our local libraries, you know what I mean.  

Remember: A WiFi neighborhood gives a connected community the opportunity to be part of the knowledge economy.

Yesterday was a busy day in Brooklyn Centre and I wanted to make sure that we all knew that one of our shining stars has another award for her outstanding work in our neighborhood.  Sheryl Hoffman, executive director of Art House is featured in this Plain Dealer article. Sheryl has received one of three 2006 Arts Educator Awards presented by Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland.

We are very fortunate that Sheryl decided to put down her own roots here in Brooklyn Centre, and then, to plant her living sculpture here.  Thank you, Sheryl, you are certainly one of Brooklyn Centre’s treasures.