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Elyria, A Place I Have Not Been
The Midwest is the center of my earth. The winds of the Great Lakes carry my family’s ties to the outer reaches of Erie, Michigan, Superior. Old farmlands hold their stories – of rejection, toil, love, and aspiration.
Looking At Appalachia
What images first come to mind when you hear the word “Appalachia”? No, really. The first image? One of the things I like to do in a group setting, particularly with students, is run through this exercise. I explain that there is no right or wrong answer.
Burn or Fizzle? Public Art, Economic Renewal, and the Curious Case of the Great Chicago Fire Festival
The critics were brutal. Headlines called it a “fizzle,” a “fiasco,” and “a total bust.” Some 30,000 people had gathered on the banks of the Chicago River in the city’s downtown on the night of October 4, waiting to see three floating houses set ablaze.
Mississippi Albert
My mother gave me a harmonica for my thirteenth birthday. The first song I learned was “Old Black Joe.” I played a lot of ditties like that – easy major key tunes – throughout junior high and high school.
The Essential Elements of Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery
The following text and photos are excerpted from The Lake View Cemetery: Photographs from Cleveland's Historic Landmark, by Barney Taxel, with Laura Taxel.
The Cincinnati Privy Disaster of 1904
Although the morning paper said it would be a fair, warming day, the horizon darkened with looming rain. Principal Thomas L. Simmerman watched the fidgeting children lined up in the hall and decided to give them a few minutes of frolic and exercise.
The Rise of the Cleveland Museum of Art
In August, I arrived at the Cleveland Museum of Art carrying a slim book with a library binding - the original Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art, first published in 1925, which promised “a brief description of the museum, its collections, and its works.”
Hungover In Cleveland
Every watering hole in Cleveland had their TVs on last night to see LeBron's first game back with the Cavs. Even Tremont’s highfalutin Spotted Owl Bar toted out a wall-dominating screen for easy viewing.
SGS Presents: Behind The Sign, Episode #1
Behind the Sign is a documentary video series created by Cleveland SGS to highlight the unsung heroes of Cleveland’s small business community. Their achievements aren’t measured in dollars, but in pride and longevity.
The Affordable Care Act: Local Flesh And Blood
Like most ten-year-olds, Erin Potter has to be tracked down on a sunny and bright Sunday afternoon. Used to be moms would yell their kids’ names out the front door, but that’s not how things work these days.
Natural Disaster: Is Probate Judge Tim Grendell Wreaking Havoc on Geauga Park District?
The headwaters of Northeast Ohio’s three iconic rivers--Chagrin, Cuyahoga and Grand--spring out of Geauga County. This rural landscape 30 miles east of Cleveland also contains 1,000 acres of kettle bogs and fens.

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