Too hot to be an Irish Wolfhound

I felt sorry for this poor Irish Wolfhound at the Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival

It's been a hot and muggy summer and all that fur didn't help.

So he did the smart thing and found a fan.

Good boy!

President Garfield Monument

I was at a function at Lake View Cemetery and a friend, from the West Side, asked me a question. He said that since he had travelled all the way over to the East Side, he wanted to visit some other areas he had heard of.

He wanted to know where Little Italy and Coventry were.

I told him to go right about 1/4 mile for Little Italy and left 1/4 mile for Coventry. He was amazed.

Often we take things for granted that we are familiar with just because we see them all the time. If you have never seen the President Garfield monument at Lake View Cemetery, it's really worth a visit. The monument is huge - 180' and the statue inside is larger than life and kind of spooky.

You can visit the actual casket of the President and his wife in the basement or go to the roof and see the Cleveland skyline.

See a video and photos of the Garfield Monument until you can get there yourself.

Ask me for directions if you need to.

A couple of kids

Happy Birthday to Cleveland Jewish News columnist Violet Spevack who was honored on her 95th birthday last week by over 800 friends and family.

Vi's husband turned 99 this past June but the couple puts other much younger couples to shame with their vitality and love of life.

Many more to both Vi and David.

See photos from Vi Spevack's 95th birthday party with special guest Rona Barrett.

Blaskapelle (Brass Band) Concert in the German Cultural Garden

Last Sunday was the annual Blaskapelle (Brass Band) Concert in the German Cultural Garden.

The Conrad Mizer/Karl Wolfram Memorial Garden Concert is an annual event. Conrad Mizer, a German emigre, promoted summer band concerts in Cleveland public parks. Karl Wolfram was one of the founders of the Cleveland's Cultural Gardens and was the first president of the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation.

There is something really cool about hearing the oom-pah-pah of the German bands in the idyllic setting of the German Cultural Garden under the watchful eyes of the huge Goethe and Schiller monument.

See photos and videos of the German Music Concert in the German Cultural Garden.

As the profile begins...

There was a time, before the Internet, when reporters actually went looking for a story; talked to sources; did research and met deadlines. It wasn't even that long ago.

One such reporter was Cleveland's own Doris O'Donnell. She is an amazing woman with an even more amazing story to tell. It is the story of trips to Moscow, crime scenes and suspense. It is the story of her venture into a male dominated world of smoke filled rooms and back room deals.

This is one of the most interesting profiles we have done on ClevelandWomen.Com or ClevelandSeniors.com

Check out Doris O'Donnell.

Sweet Jane

Sad to hear that Jane Scott, Cleveland's Oldest Teenager, passed away on July 4, 2011 at age 92. She started working at the Plain Dealer in 1952 and continued until she retired in 2002.

Read the official profile of Jane Scott.

I remember once when she asked us about reggae at a Peter Tosh show at the old Front Row. Tosh came out smoking a spliff the size of a banana. At the intermission, Jane asked us all kinds of questions about reggae and it made her column the next day.

I ran into her at a lot of concerts and media events and she was always so eager to be part of the action. A great trait!

She was one of a kind.

I am sure she is interviewing Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin and others right now.