Sandy's Cleveland Blog

The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton has two new galleries for the 2008 season. "Moments, Memories, and Mementos" and "Pro Football Today" opened to the public this past weekend. The two new exhibits are the result of a two-year, $3.6 million expansion project at the museum.

"Moments, Memories, and Mementos" features some of the Hall's most valuable artifacts and displays them in an interactive, multi-media showcase, complete with audio/visual remarks from the players.

"Pro Football Today" emphasizes the contemporary game with high-impact graphics and video. This exhibit is divided into several sections: NFL Goes Global, The Pro Bowl, Rookie Record, and Career Records.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open 9am - 8pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day and 9am - 5pm the rest of the year. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for those 62 and older, $12 for ages 6-14, and free for those 5 and under.

^{(photo courtesy of Positively Cleveland)}

Summer in Cleveland, from mid-May to mid-September, is a constant stream of concerts, food and ethnic festivals, and art fairs. It's not too early to plan your summer activities. Read more about what's going on this summer:

• Summer Outdoor Concerts
• Summer Festivals
• Summer Arts Festivals

^{(Photo courtesy of the Ohio Dept. of Travel and Tourism)}

May 12-16 is Cleveland Bicycle Week. A whole schedule of activities are planned for the event, including group rides to work on Monday, May 12, and the first ever Cleveland Bicycle Expo at City Hall on Friday, May 16. For more information on being a part of this "green" event, see the Cleveland Bicycle Week Web site.

If you're still looking for something to do with mom and the family today, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Akron's Stan Hywet Hall and Garden are offering free admission to moms (and grandmoms). In addition, Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery is hosting its annual Mother's Day walk. Call 216 421-2665 for reservations for the walk.

^{(photo © assbach/cc license)}

To me, one of the most delightful parts of spring and summer is the large number of farmers' markets that pop up each week throughout Northeast Ohio. I'm always pleasantly surprised at the variety, quality, and affordability of these markets' offerings.

From Lorain to Ashtabula, weekly markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables; home-canned jams, jellies, and salsas; freshly-baked bread and pastry; and seasonal surprises, such as annual bedding plants and fresh cut flowers.

^{(Photo Courtesy of Byways of Holmes County)}

It's just a block long, nestled between Euclid and Prospect Avenues, in the shadow of Quicken Loans Arena and Jacob's Field. But, what a block! East Fourth Street in downtown Cleveland is home to a half-dozen restaurants, the House of Blues concert club, and over 250 luxury apartments, carved out of the district's historic buildings.

In the summer, many of the restaurants set up cafe tables along the curb giving the strip a sort of Montreal-like atmosphere. Among the eateries on East Fourth are Flannery's Pub, Lola's, Zocalo, and Pickwick and Frolic

^{(image © 2007 S. Mitchell/licensed to About, Inc.)}

The Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival is back and ready to go this year, under the sponsorship of Marc's this year.

The four-day food and music festival is a Cleveland favorite and the unofficial start to the Northeast Ohio summer festival season. Held at the Time-Warner Cable Amphitheater, the event features ten BBQ masters, including Cleveland's own Al "Bubba" Baker and his Bubba Q's World Famous BBQ, competing for "Greatest Ribs," "Greatest Sauce," and "People's Choice" awards.

In addition to the food, the Rib Cook-Off features an array of live entertainment, all of which is included in the admission price. This year's stars include KC and the Sunshine Band, Jonny Lang, and Colin Dussault's Blues Project.

The festival is scheduled for May 23 to 26 (2008). Admission is $7 for adults; children under 12 are free. Admission is also free on Friday during lunch hours, from 11am to 1pm.

^{(image courtesy of BelkinMedia)}

Instead, dispose of your expired and/or unwanted over-the-counter and prescription medications by taking them to a special medication round-up at Cleveland's recycling locations at 5600 Carnegie Avenue and 3727 Ridge Road on Wednesday, May 7 between 10am and 7pm. This way your medications won't be accidentially picked up by kids or pets or find their way into the water system.

Community members should bring their medications in the original containers, placed in a clear plastic bag.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in Boston ready to meet the Boston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. No one is predicting an easy win for either team, but LeBron has a history of high-scoring games against Boston.

The series begins tonight (May 6) in Boston. The official watch party is at Slim & Chubby's in Strongsville (12492 Prospect Rd.). The party starts at 7pm and the game begins at 8pm.

The full schedule is as follows:

• Game One - May 6 - at Boston - 8pm
• Game Two - May 8 - at Boston - 7pm
• Game Three - May 10 - at Cleveland - 8pm
• Game Four - May 12 - at Cleveland - 8pm
• Game Five - May 14 - at Boston - TBA
• Game Six - May 16 - at Cleveland - TBA
• Game Seven - May 18 - at Boston - TBA

Go Cavs!

^{(photo courtesy of the NBA)}

In the mid-20th century, Mansfield native Louis Bromfield was one of the country's best selling authors. Winner of the 1927 Pulitzer Prize (for his third novel, Early Autumn), Bromfield wrote 31 novels and non-fiction works, four of which were made into movies. Although most of his work is still in print, he hasn't kept the notoriety of his contemporaries Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald (maybe because he was a lot less self-destructive).

After a stint as a WWI ambulance driver (for which he was awarded the French Legion of Honneur) and a "between the wars" residence in France, Bromfield settled on 1000 acres, just outside of Mansfield, Ohio. The estate, which he dubbed "Malabar Farm" (the main house of which is pictured above), became a working farm and early example of organic and self-sustaining farming. Many of his Hollywood friends visited him in Ohio. In fact, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married in 1945 at Malabar Farm.

The estate, now an Ohio State Park, remains a working farm. Visitors can tour the house and the estate as well as partake in the many activities offered there, including fishing, hay wagon rides, or shopping at the farm market. Other facilities include a restaurant, housed in an early 19th century farmhouse; primitive campsites; and a 19-bed dormitory-style hostel.

Read more about Louis Bromfield's books and biographies.

^{(Photo Courtesy of Malabar Farm)}