Wednesday, March 20, 2019

177th Cleveland St Patrick's Day Parade - Cosgrove Steps

The 2019 St Patrick's Day Parade in Cleveland was the 177th.

Honorees and dignitaries gathered on the steps of the Cosgrove Center including Grand Marshall Bill Homan, Mother of the Year Eileen Kilroy, Inside Co-Chair Patti Maher Hanrahan and Outside Co-Chair Sr. Corita Ambro. Mayor Frank Jackson, County Executive Armond Budish and Councilman Blaine Griffin were also there.

Katie Cooper led the Irish anthem in Gaelic and then the US anthem. Bishop Nelson Perez gave an invocation and the parade was dedicated to the late Bill Carney whose family was on the steps.

Then Grand Marshall Bill Homan blew the whistle to begin the Parade.




Friday, March 08, 2019

Sam Miller RIP

Cleveland and the world have lost a great friend.

Sam Miller’s parents were poor Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland. Their name was changed at Ellis Island. He became a great philanthropist helping Jewish, Catholic and other causes.

Sam Miller, Forest City co-chair emeritus, died March 7, 2019 at age 97. He will be missed greatly.



Sam Miller was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Wednesday May 8, 2013.

Photos and video of Sam Miller in the Cleveland International Hall of Fame


Monday, March 04, 2019

5th annual Russian Maslenitsa celebration

The Cleveland Russian Cultural Garden hosted its 5th annual Maslenitsa celebration at the Rockefeller Greenhouse.



Maslenitsa has its origins in both pagan and Christian traditions. In Slavic mythology, Maslenitsa is a celebration of the imminent end of the winter. It has been compared to Mardi Gras or Carnival.
The event was also a fund-raiser put on by the Russian Cultural Garden committee. The Russian Cultural Gardens is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to promoting the Russian Heritage and Russian cultural influence in America. The Russian Cultural Garden has a prominent goal of building the Russian Cultural Garden as a part of the Cultural Gardens of Cleveland in the Rockefeller Park.



The event was full of music, games, shopping, auction and Russian food and drink.

Photos and videos of 2019 Russian Maslenitsa in Cleveland

Slovenian Kurentovanje Parade in Cleveland

The 7th annual Cleveland version of the most popular carnival in Slovenia - Kurentovanje - was a week long event featuring dinners, a dance party, bocce tournament and more. But the highlight was the annual Kurentovanje parade followed by the festival celebration in the Slovenian National Home.


See photos and videos of the Kurentovanje Parade

Here is a video of highlights of the 2019 Slovenian Kurentovanje Parade in Cleveland.