Boarding on Flight 2019 has been announced

Boarding on Flight 2019 has been announced.

We hope you have checked in only the best souvenirs from 2018 in your luggage. The BAD and SAD moments if carried, must be thrown away in the garbage bins on arrival.

The flight will be 12 months long. So, loosen your seat belts, jingle and mingle. The stop-overs will be: Health, Love, Joy, Harmony, Well-being and Peace. Refueling will be at Giving, Sharing and Caring.

The following menu is offered and will be served during the flight: Cocktail of Friendship, Supreme of Health, Gratin of Prosperity, Bowl of Excellent News, Salad of Success, Cake of Happiness - All accompanied by bursts of laughter.

But remember, you will enjoy these meals and the journey better if you talk, share, smile and laugh together. Sitting silent will make the flight seem longer. 

Wishing you and your family an enjoyable trip on board flight 2019.

Happy New Year!

RIP Don Webster

Beloved TV weatherman and Upbeat TV show host Don Webster passed away Thursday December 13, 2018. He was 79 years old.

Debbie Hanson sat down with Don in 2007 and wrote a profile of Don Webster's life for ClevelandSeniors.com

Lots of photos of Don Webster with celebrities

Don Webster and the Beatles

Don Webster with Davey Jones and Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees

Don Webster with "Little" Stevie Wonder

GE Nela Park 2018 Holiday Light Display

Nela Park is the
world headquarters for General Electric's Lighting Division—one of the
company's seven divisions. Nela Park was established in 1911 when General
Electric bought an abandoned vineyard seven miles from Cleveland in what was
then the rural countryside. Nela Park was designated a National Historic Place
in 1975. This is the 94^th year that they have put on an amazing
holiday lighting display. This is a video walk from the south part of the
display down Noble Road to the end. http://cleveland101.com/cleveland-101-business-science-and-tech/ge-nela-park/

1000 years of Polish History

The new Polish Heritage Garden is behind the Polish American Cultural Center. It features a circular grassy area and along the walkway there are 27 placards telling the story of Polish history.

Photos of all 27 placards on Polish History

Here are a few samples.

Dedication of the Polish Heritage Garden

The Grand Dedication of the highly anticipated, new Polish Heritage Garden at the Polish American Cultural Center at 6501 Lansing Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio in Slavic Village took place on November 11, 2018.

This beautiful gated outdoor garden will present Poland's history century by century with permanent comprehensive placards situated along a circular brick walkway. This special garden is designed for future educational and celebratory events for all Cleveland Polonia and their guests to enjoy.

Photos and videos of the Polish Heritage Garden dedication

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Cleveland

The city of Cleveland celebrated Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a vibrant cultural celebration for the whole family around 62nd and Detroit.
The annual “Day of the Dead” honors the memory of those who have passed and is a treasured holiday in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Activities included indoor and outdoor altar and art installations, Latin food, live music, performances, and a colorful “Skulls & Skeletons” procession.

See more of the 2018 Day of the Dead in Cleveland

'Tis the Season

Happy Halloween

Rainey Institute Youth Orchestra at Cleveland Art Museum

The El Sistema@Rainey program provides daily orchestra classes at Rainey Institute to Cleveland children in grades 2-8. Students may study violin, viola, cello or string bass. Click the white arrow to watch the short selections on this video.

See more from the  International Cleveland Community Day at the Cleveland Museum of Art

73rd annual One World Day on Sunday

One World Day is the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. We had a great One World Day last year in 2017; we hope you enjoyed it as much as the other 25,000+ attendees. Let’s make it even better this year!

Since 1945, the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation has celebrated One World Day in the Gardens. This annual event reflects the theme of the Gardens: “Peace through Mutual Understanding.”

One World Day is the highlight of summer events in the Gardens and the occasion at which all the Gardens get together to celebrate as one. Events include a Parade of Flags, a naturalization ceremony, cultural performances, entertainment, gardens exhibitors, authentic diverse ethnic food, guided Lolly the Trolley Tours, children’s activities and more.

Sunday September 16 11AM - 6 PM. East to get there. Easy to park.

Free admission, free parking, free trolley tours, free entertainment!

More information

Russian Cultural Garden Walk of Fame in Cleveland

A quick video look at the first ring of the Walk of Fame in the newly dedicated Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland, part of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

It honors Russian cultural and scientific heroes such as Yuri Gagarin, Leo Tolstoy, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Dmitri Shostakovich, Vladimir Nabokov and numerous Nobel Prize winners.

See more of the Russian Cultural Garden

Russian Cultural Garden Dedication

The Cleveland Russian Cultural Garden has been a work in progress since 2011 when Svetlana Stolyarova, Dr. Boris Vinogradsky and Sergio Lebid formed a committee to create a Russian garden in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens chain of gardens.

Their rationale was 3 key points

1. We believe that Russian culture is one of the world's most diverse and interesting.
2. Russian is the second largest European language
3. Russian culture in America deserves to be explored, represented and promoted.

The formal dedication of the Russian Cultural Garden was held on Saturday September 8, 2018.

Photos and videos of the Russian Cultural Garden dedication

St. John Paul II bust installed in Polish Cultural Garden in Cleveland

The Polish Cultural Garden in Cleveland has busts of several famous Poles: Copernicus, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Frédéric Chopin, Madame Marie Sklodowska Curie, Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Adam Mickiewicz. They circle a beautiful fountain in the Garden at the corner of East Blvd and St. Clair in Cleveland.


The bust of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was recently moved to make way for a new bust of Saint Pope John Paul II which was added to the Polish Garden.

Gene Bak and the Polish American Cultural Center spearheaded the effort to honor Saint John Paul II.  John Paul visited Cleveland when he was Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyla and said Mass at the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus.

Photos and video of John Paul II bust

Czechoslovakia 100th and Prague Spring 50th anniversaries

2018 is a special year. Not only are we celebrating 100 years of the founding of Czechoslovakia, but also 50 years since Prague Spring - the loosening of the tight grip of the communist regime by Slovak Alexander Dubcek, that came to a sudden halt on August 20, 1968 when the country was invaded by Soviet forces.

To commemorate these anniversaries, a re-installation and a re-dedication of two plaques in the Czech Cultural Garden took place on Sunday, August 19, 2018.  Members of the Czech Slovak and Rusyn communities participated.

Czech national anthem plaque

Slovak Flag

See more from the Czechoslovakia 100th anniversary celebration

Nadezda Petrovic Bust dedication in Serbian Cultural Garden

Under the leadership of Alex Machaskee, the Serbian Cultural Garden in Cleveland continues to grow. A new bust of Nadezda Petrovic was dedicated on Sunday August 19th in the Serbian Cultural Garden. His Grace Bishop Irinejand Fr. Dragoslav Kosic officiated at the dedication.

Photos and videos of the Petrovic bust dedication

14th Annual Cleveland Oktoberfest - Win free tickets

A glockenspiel that rocks on the hour, polka bands rocking the festival, traditional Bavarian food to delight your tastebuds, and don't forget the beer! It's all part of the 14th Annual Cleveland Oktoberfest, Labor Day Weekend, Friday, August 31, through Monday, September 3rd, 2018 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea.

The Cleveland Oktoberfest welcomes back Paulaner as the presenting sponsor of Northeast Ohio's largest annual outdoor ethnic festival. Founded in 1634, Paulaner's longstanding dedication to purity in brewing has made them the #1 selling Oktoberfest Bier in Germany, and one of only six breweries represented at the Munich Oktoberfest.

All ages will find much to do at the multi-cultural festival, with Wiener Dog Racing, ethnically-diverse dancing groups, fireworks, puppet shows, sand sculpting, a Masskrugstemmen contest, hayrides, a Bavarian Shopping Village, polka lessons, educational seminars, and music, food and beer.

Learn more and enter to win free tickets to Oktoberfest

The Great Brain

I think I saw a positive review by someone about a 1967 book called The Great Brain so I picked up the audio version to listen to while driving. I almost gave up on it because it is the story of a Utah family in 1896 and seemed geared to young readers. But I kept listening and became hooked.

 The Great Brain was written by John Dennis Fitzgerald (1906-1988) and is set in the small town of Adenville, Utah, between 1896 and 1898. The narrator is the youngest of 3 boys in a Catholic family in a predominantly Mormon area of Utah. John Dennis Fitzgerald, also called JD, tells the story of his oldest brother Sven and parents but the main focus is the middle brother Tom who has the "Great Brain."

I haven't seen it but The Great Brain was made into a movie in 1978, with the main character played by Jimmy Osmond.

The book gives a look at life in a much simpler time and place along with all that goes with it. Kids play "Kick the Can" and similar games, have lots of chores, share a single school room and teacher among grades and so on.

Tom, The Great Brain, is always scheming to make money. For example, he charges kids a penny each to watch the first indoor toilet installed in the town in their house.

The Great Brain figures out schemes to enrich himself but also manages to greatly help others and the community. He saves some kids trapped in a cave, helps a Jewish travelling salesman and prevents a kid who lost his leg to gangrene from committing suicide.

It's an entertaining book to listen to while driving and I'm sure reading it would be just as fun. Nothing heavy, but interesting. I am looking forward to the 1969 sequel called More Adventures of the Great Brain.

Judy's Hand sculpture by Tony Tasset

Judy’s Hand Sculpture by Tony Tasset is part of Cleveland’s inaugural FRONT International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art in the summer of 2018.

This is a 7-ton, 21-foot-high sculpture of a hand on the plaza just the east of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA.)



Chicago artist Tony Tasset created the sculpture from a cast of his wife’s hand for the 2018 FRONT International Cleveland Triennial art exhibition. The piece was co-commissioned by Case Western Reserve and will be a permanent installation.




Take a quick video tour around Judy’s Hand sculpture by clicking on the white arrow.

See more about the Judy's Hand Sculpture in Cleveland

Dirty Old Town from Tallymoore

The Irish band Tallymoore from Milwaukee performed at the 36th annual Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival. This was Dirty Old Town.  #cleirish

More from the Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival

Irish Rebel Song

One Shot Paddy, led by Garry Gormley (formerly of the Dicey Rileys), sang this rebel song about the Decommission at the 36th annual Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival

See more photos and videos from the 36th annual Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival 

175 years of the Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Clevelanders have been gathering to celebrate St. Patrick's Day since 1842! The history of Cleveland's beloved St. Patrick's Day Parade is also the story of the Irish in Cleveland. Extensively researched, lavishly illustrated in full color, this handsome 200-page hard cover book pays tribute to one of the city's oldest and most vibrant public celebrations.

Hear about it from Irish American Archives Society (IAAS) Director Margaret Lynch

Uilleann pipes (national bagpipe of Ireland) explained and played

Michael Vignoles both makes and plays the Uilleann pipes, the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. He explained the pipes at the 36th annual Cleveland Irish Cultural Festival and then played a song. #cleirish

  See more photos and videos of the Uilleann Pipes

Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Workshop

A Chinese painting and calligraphy event was held at the Confucius Institute at Cleveland State University on June 2, 2018. Three artists made presentations on different Chinese art forms to a group of college students and staff from Marietta College, Ohio.

See more of the Chinese painting and calligraphy event at the Confucius Institute 

Putting the head on a 200 foot dragon

How do you put the head on a 200' dragon?

Very Carefully.


A highlight of the Asian Lantern Festival at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will be the nearly 200-foot-long and 20-foot-tall Chinese Dragon that sprawls across Waterfowl Lake. #asianlantern

Click on the white arrow in the image below to watch a video of the head being put on the huge dragon.

See more photos of the dragon getting its head at the Asian Lantern exhibit

Asian Lantern Festival preview - Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is transforming into an all-new summer experience beginning Thursday, July 19th during the first-of-its-kind Asian Lantern Festival, presented by Cleveland Clinic Children's. Each Thursday through Sunday for five weeks, hundreds of large-scale, colorful lanterns will illuminate the Zoo and offer an amazing and unique look in an exclusive, after-hours setting.

When you enter the Zoo you will see this beautiful Asian entrance and just inside is a 100-foot-long entrance pathway in the Welcome Plaza.

Asian Lantern Festival #AsianLantern will feature more than 40 displays and hundreds of lanterns across several destinations of the Zoo.

More details and photos and videos of the Asian Lanterns at the Zoo

Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit at Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art has done it again. Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors is an amazing world-class exhibit that is nothing like you have ever seen, or experienced, before.

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors celebrates the legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s 65-year career. The exhibition spans the range of Kusama’s work, from her groundbreaking paintings and performances of the 1960s, when she staged polka-dot “Happenings” in the streets of New York, to her widely admired immersive installations and the U.S. debut of her recent series of paintings, My Eternal Soul.
#infinitekusama

Visitors have the unprecedented opportunity to experience seven of Kusama’s captivating Infinity Mirror Rooms, including Where the Lights in My Heart Go (2016), exclusive to Cleveland. Additionally, a stunning array of large and vibrant paintings, sculptures, installations, works on paper and rare archival materials can also be seen.

Yo really need to experience it yourself if you are local but if not, check out photos and videos from my visit to Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors

Infinity Mirror Room - Phalli's Field

The Infinity Mirror Rooms in the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art are amazing. You, and maybe 1 to 3 other people, enter a small room and stand in a small area in the center of the room. Mirrors and lights and sculptures and effects take place as you gaze at infinite copies. It's like a fun house mirror room on steroids. In 20 or 30 seconds the door will open and the next group will be invited in.


One of my favorites was the Infinity Mirror Room - Phalli's Field. In 1965, Kusama integrated mirrors into her art for the first time, using the reflective material to line the interior of Infinity Mirrored Room-Phalli's Field. Through the kaleidoscopic relationship between the mirrors and the materials inside the chamber, complex patterns emerged, appearing to extend infinitely in all directions.  #infinitekusama


Photos and videos of the Phalli's Field Infinity Room 

The Obliteration Room by Yayoi Kusama at Cleveland Museum of Art

One  of my favorites at the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art was was The Obliteration Room.


It's a large room, all in white, with white furniture, toys, appliances and so on. Visitors are given some colorful round stickers and are encouraged to place them on anything in the room. So the pure white room will be "obliterated" with the colorful stickers that visitors place.

As an early visitor, there was still, plenty of white space. As the days and weeks progress, the room will be more and more covered in colorful stickers.

See photos and videos from the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors exhibit.

#infinitekusama