EVENTS CALENDAR

Local Theater, Gallery and Art News in Cleveland, OH

Fireworks, barbecue and zoo events celebrate Fourth of July: Do It

by Marc Bona / Assistant Entertainment Editor

Thursday July 02, 2009, 3:47 PM

Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer

FOURTH OF JULY

DOWNTOWN FIREWORKS

Fireworks celebration is back. Happy 233rd, America.

Where: From the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.

When: Dusk, Saturday, July 4.

Cost: The show can be seen from far around for free. For $12, you can catch it from aboard the Steamship William G. Mather, 601 Erieside Ave., where a Rock and Boom evening will begin at 6 p.m.

Info: 216-566-1046.

FOURTH OF JULY

RIB, WHITE & BLUE FOOD FESTIVAL

Can't have the holiday without a barbecue -- a big one. You can almost smell those ribs now! There'll be vendors, games, rides and lots of music.

Where: Lock 3, 200 S. Main St., Akron.

When: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., followed by fireworks.

Cost: Free until 1 p.m., then $5 admission.

Info: Go to www.lock3live.com for details and music schedule.

FOURTH OF JULY

RED, WHITE & ZOO

The second annual event will include patriotic music, holiday-themed animal activities and $2 admission discounts for anyone wearing red, white or blue.

Where: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland.

When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, July 4.

Cost: With discount, $8 ($5 for kids ages 2-11 and free for children under 2 and zoo members).

Info: clemetzoo.com/events or 216-661-6500.

Roger Mastroianni

GETTING OUT

MUSIC AT BLOSSOM

Gather a picnic and hear some music in the great outdoors.

Saturday, July 4: Blossom Festival Band, under direction of conductor Loras John Schissel, plays patriotic music at 8 p.m., ending with the "1812 Overture" and fireworks.

Sunday, July 5: The Cleveland Orchestra and guest soprano Angela Brown will perform Gershwin, Copland and Gould at 7 p.m.

Where: Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls.

Cost: Tickets start at $19.

Info: 216-231-1111 or clevelandorchestra.com.

GETTING OUT

BOSTON MILLS ARTFEST

Snow trails have given way to art booths at Boston Mills Ski Resort, which hosts the final days of this year's massive artfest this weekend.

Where: 7100 Riverview Road, Peninsula.

When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, July 4 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, July 5.

Cost: $7.50 ($6 for students 13-21, $6 for seniors 60 and older, free for kids 12 and younger).

Info: bmbw.com..

GETTING OUT

ANTIQUE FESTIVAL AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW

Enjoy a drive about 90 minutes southwest of Cleveland and check out some antiques and great old cars.

Where: Central Park, Loudonville (southeast of Mansfield, southwest of Wooster and east of I-71).

When: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, July 4. Fireworks at dusk.

Cost: Free.

Info: For details and directions, see loudonville-mohican.com or call 419-994-4789.

GETTING OUT

PLAY BALL!

Going to a baseball game on the Fourth of July weekend should be required, don't you think?

Indians: Cleveland hosts the Oakland As at 7:05 tonight and 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Progressive Field downtown. Saturday, July 4 promo is a red, white and blue cap giveaway and fireworks. Sunday, July 5 is kids' fun day and Victor Martinez catcher's mitt giveaway. Ticket prices vary; call 216-420-4487 or go to indians.com.

Crushers: The debut season of the Lake Erie Crushers continues as the Florence Freedom come to Avon's All-Pro Freight Stadium for games at 7:05 Saturday July 4 and 5:05 p.m. Sunday, July 5. There's fireworks tonight and family day/kids run the bases Sunday. Call 440-934-3636 or go to lakeeriecrushers.com.

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Malley's, Honey Hut and other Cleveland-area old-fashioned ice cream shops let us know it's summertime

by John Petkovic / Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday July 02, 2009, 12:00 PM

MOO. After a week of stand-hopping in search of ice cream nirvana, I felt so rich in the belly that I thought I was a cow. Soft serve. Custard. Shakes. Malts. Cones. Then more malts.

I'm not an ice-creamaholic. I just love ice cream, because it tastes good and it reminds me of summer.

Admit it, you love it, too. So why not indulge yourself on a weeklong bender with this baker's dozen of ice cream stands:

Sandy's Frozen Whip, 17635 Lake Shore Blvd., Cleveland: Cleveland loremeisters rave about Euclid Beach Park. If it's anything like the Original Euclid Beach Park Strawberry Custard, then I wish I could go back in time. Mmm, so thick and tasty. It's only one of the retro thrills at this old-fashioned stand. Check out the old pictures of boxers and movie stars. But not for too long. You wouldn't want your custard -- or the just-as-yummy hot-fudge cake and banana split -- to melt.

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Barking Spider Tavern a rustic flashback: After Dark Bar Guide

by John Petkovic / Plain Dealer Reporter

Wednesday July 01, 2009, 2:00 PM

Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Barking Spider Tavern

11310 Juniper Road, Cleveland

216-421-2863

This place comes off as a cross between a cozy ski lodge and poetry bar. It's rustic -- with a great outdoor patio in the summer -- but also low-key. It's the last place you'd go to do beer bongs or wear a lampshade on your head. On some nights, when the folkies kick out the jams, there's a flashback to the 1960s vibe that ruled when this part of town was a hippie bastion. Communal vibes even greet you at the door -- as admission is free most of the time. Tipping is encouraged, man. -- John Petkovic

Find reviews of 168 bars online with our searchable After Dark Bar Guide: cleveland.com/afterdark

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Fireworks, barbecue and doings at the Metroparks Zoo: 2Do Picks

by Chuck Yarborough / Plain Dealer Reporter

Wednesday July 01, 2009, 2:00 PM

Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer

PICKS

Compiled by Chuck Yarborough, cyarborough@plaind.com

Red

Tight budgets have forced some local communities to scrub the annual Fourth of July fireworks. However, many still are having them; check cleveland.com/fourthofjuly. But the biggest and baddest, depending on your perspective, is in the Flats on Dock 20 Saturday. A controversial tapping of his Ward 14 discretionary fund by Councilman Joe Santiago is making the show possible. The first boom is expected around 10 p.m. Check voiceoftheflats.org for details.

White

It wouldn't be the Fourth of July without a barbecue, and Akron has a biggie. Rib, White and Blue Food Festival started Thursday, but it continues today and Saturday at Lock 3 Park on South Main Street. Vendors, games, rides, fireworks and more are all on tap. And the musical entertainment is something special. Kevin Eubanks (Jay Leno's bandleader through his "Tonight Show" run) is the crowning touch with a 9 p.m. performance Saturday. Others set to perform include Zydeco Kings, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and local favorites, including Cats on Holiday and Ohio, a Crosby, Stills & Nash tribute band. Check lock3live.com for a schedule and hours. Admission is $5.

and Blue

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is getting in the spirit of this whole Fourth of July thing. Anyone wearing red, white and/or blue and visiting the zoo Saturday gets $2 off admission, meaning $8 for adults, $5 for kids 2-11 and free for children under 2 and zoo members. Oh, and the painting rhinos will be doing their thing in hues of red, white and blue. The zoo is at 3900 Wildlife Way. Go to clemetzoo.com or call 216-661-6500.

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DJ R.A. Washington to spin his version of Michael Jackson's genius at Touch Supper Club: After Dark

by John Petkovic / Plain Dealer Reporter

Wednesday July 01, 2009, 1:08 PM

He was the King of Pop. But even such a lofty title obscures the musical genius of Michael Jackson, says R.A. Washington.

The Cleveland DJ-musician-poet is set to make his case at 10 p.m. Saturday, July 4, at Touch Supper Club, 2710 Lorain Ave., Cleveland. Free. Call 216-631-5200.

Washington will not only play music that spans Jackson's career; he'll also spin his own remixes that feature Jackson's voice.

"I got these a cappella versions of Michael's songs -- just him singing, by himself, in studio," says Washington. "I combined it with beats and music."

Beth A. Keiser / Associated PressKING OF MORE THAN POP: R.A. Washington, a Cleveland DJ-musician-poet, will prove that there's more to Jackson than "pop," when he spins all-Michael music at Touch Supper Club at 10 p.m. Saturday.

Bootlegs of Jackson singing a cappella have long floated around the DJ circuit. But this isn't just another cut-and-paste-and-mash-up remixing.

"I want people to hear his voice in other contexts to see how diverse he was," he says. "He wasn't just 'pop' -- he was a genius."

Washington is a longtime fan of Jackson's work. But it wasn't until he heard the vocal tracks that he came to appreciate the brilliance of the pop star who died June 25.

"It's amazing to hear all the vocal layering he did," he says. "He'd add all these different vocal parts and background vocals."

But it's the little "glitches" that really struck Washington.

In the digital era, technology and pitch-correcting software have enabled producers to make even mediocre vocalists sound "radio friendly" -- and often so smooth and produced that they sound lifeless and bland.

"Michael had a great voice and pitch," says Washington. "But then you hear all these little things in the tracks that make you realize how spontaneous he could be: him clapping or snapping his finger and stomping his foot."

It's a tradition that precedes the "pop era" Jackson is linked to.

"He comes out of the James Brown tradition, the R&B and soul tradition, the church music tradition," says Washington. "It's like modern church music that made it to the radio."

The evening, dubbed "A Simple Jackson Moon," sets out to show all of those sides of Jackson's career -- from the Jackson 5 to solo material to rare and holiday tracks.

"I'm going through the whole catalog," says Washington. "Even his worst tracks are better than any of the pop stuff you're going to hear on the radio."

Which is why Washington rejects the King of Pop title.

"Calling him that is diminutive -- and not just because his version of pop is very different from what pop music has come to represent," he says. "Like Elvis, the King tag turned him into something so big that it was destined to be mocked."

It also obscured his talents.

"Yes, he was an entertainer and dancer and a showman," says Washington. "But Michael was a musical genius when most people his age are playing with Legos. He isn't pop; he's in a totally different category -- just listen to his voice."

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Horace H.B. Sanders, Will Power, Keith Ruff make for a great comedy week: Laugh Track

by Michael McIntyre/Plain Dealer Reporter

Wednesday July 01, 2009, 12:43 PM

Horace H.B. Sanders

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the host of the Laugh Track column, a man who is afraid of sparklers . . . Mike McIntyre.

Thank you, Cleveland! Sparklers draw children like candy -- in this case, candy that burns as hot as the core of a nuclear reactor. We parents make our kids wear bike helmets and seat belts, we slather them with sunscreen and Purell, we do everything to protect them. And then on the Fourth of July we hand them a searing hot metal stick that could brand cattle. That smell you get when your child just has to touch the business end of a sparkler as it burns out? That is the smell of freedom.

Clean comedy: Horace H.B. Sanders, the Detroit native who won the Star Search Comedy Championship, is so funny you'll forget he went to the University of Michigan.

Sanders prides himself on being able to relate to any audience, regardless of "age, gender, ethnicity ... or credit score." Sanders, passionate about his Christianity, often performs for school students and at juvenile correction facilities.

"Did you ever get dressed up because all your other clothes are dirty?" he asks in his act. "Your friends see you and be like, 'Ooh, you got a job interview?' No, I gotta wash."

Sanders performs at Hilarities inside Pickwick & Frolic, 2035 East 4th St. in Cleveland. at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday ($15), 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Friday ($18), 7 p.m. Saturday ($10) (No late show due to the holiday) and 7:30 p.m. Sunday ($15). Call 216-736-4242.

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Dinner, drinks and a movie: Paladar Latin Kitchen, Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus & 'Mr. Hulot's Holiday'

by Plain Dealer Staff

Wednesday July 01, 2009, 11:26 AM

Memphis Jerk Spare Ribs from Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar in Woodmere.

DINNER

Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar
Eton Chagrin Boulevard, 28601 Chagrin Blvd., No. 900, Woodmere
216-896-9020
In addition to its regular menu, Paladar Latin Kitchen hosts its Latin BBQ Nights series every Sunday and Monday night. Chef Robert Cabrales offers a different selection of barbecued entrees complete with condiments, a choice of two sides plus corn bread, tortillas or arepas (a type of South American corn cakes) - all for $16.95. A trio of main dishes alternates weekly: Tex-Cuban Barbecue Braised Brisket, Memphis Jerk Spare Ribs and a Puerto Rican Pig Roast. But to expand the partying this long holiday weekend, the special runs today through Monday. (Bonus: This time you get your choice of either the jerk spare ribs or the pig roast.) If you can't get enough barbecue, it's a good deal and a fun place to eat. - Joe Crea

DRINKS

Any bar
Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus
What does cactus taste like? I'm not sure how it goes down straight, but it tastes pretty, well, tasty in this light summer brew. Michelob's low-cal seasonal drink is a refreshing, citrusy pick - with a prick of cactus kick - for a holiday picnic, or a laid-back night at your favorite watering hole. -- Laura DeMarco

MOVIE

"Mr. Hulot's Holiday"
Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque kicks off its Cinema with a Smile series at 1:15 p.m. Sunday with a screening of the slapstick classic "Mr. Hulot's Holiday." It's an appropriate summer seaside respite directed by and starring Jacques Tati (in French with subtitles from 1953). Other gems coming in the next two months: "The Philadelphia Story," "His Girl Friday," and "Duck Soup." 11141 East Blvd. in University Circle.

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Independence Week Entertainment Guide: Fireworks, ribs, festivals and more

by Plain Dealer Staff

Tuesday June 30, 2009, 1:23 PM

Plain Dealer File

Nearly canceled for lack of money, then rescued, the Cleveland city fireworks will take place as usual at dusk Saturday, at the Cuyahoga River's mouth.

Northeast Ohioans will celebrate the nation's 233rd birthday over the next few days with fireworks, parades and other tributes. Here's a sampling.

Wednesday

Bay Village: Bay Days will take place from noon to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at Cahoon Park, with rides, booths and more. Wednesday's kickoff will feature '60s music by Aftermath at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

Cleveland: A free Star-Spangled Spectacular Community Concert and Festival will begin at 5 p.m. at Public Square with performances by several groups and continue at 9 p.m. with the Cleveland Orchestra playing Sousa, Berlin and other American hits. The show will end about 10:30 p.m. with the "1812" Overture and fireworks.

Akron: The three-day Rib, White & Blue Food Festival will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Lock 3, 200 S. Main St., Akron. Admission is free Thursday.

Bay Village: Bay Days will continue from noon to 10:30 p.m. at Cahoon Park, featuring a classic-car cruise at 5 p.m.

Friday

Akron: The Rib, White & Blue Food Festival will continue from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Lock 3, 200 S. Main St., Akron. Admission is free Friday.

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