Dancing to Harmonia at Ukraine Benefit in Cleveland Cultural Gardens

 The band Harmonia performed in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens as a benefit for Ukraine sponsored by the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Ohio Chapter. 

 Harmonia presents the traditional folk music of Eastern Europe, ranging from the Danube to the Carpathians. Its repertoire reflects the cultures of this region: Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian and Gypsy. 

 The performers that evening were: Walt Mahovlich – accordion, Steven Greenman – violin, Alexander Fedoriouk – cimbalom, Branislav Brinarsky – bass and Beata Begeniova – vocals.  

In this finale number members of the audience came out and danced to a lively Ukrainian song.  

Feast of the Assumption Procession in Cleveland 2022

 While there are 4 days of music, food and partying each year the highlight of the annual Feast of the Assumption is the Mass on August 15th, the actual feast day, followed by a prayerful procession through the streets of Little Italy. 

 After the Mass at Holy Rosary Church in Cleveland’s Little Italy, parishioners and others march through the streets of the neighborhood saying the Rosary.  This year Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic marched with them. Here is some of the Feast of the Assumption parade in Cleveland, 2022.

Italians in Cleveland

Croatian Cultural Garden in Cleveland – Immigrant Mother Statue

 The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are a chain of over 35 gardens in Cleveland’s Rockefeller Park that focus on the heritage of the different groups. 

The Croatian Cultural Garden has an upper presence on East Blvd. and this lower level on MLK Blvd.  Dan Hanson walks through the lower level and talks about the inspiring statue of the Immigrant Mother created by Joseph Turkaly.  

The Immigrant Mother statue is dedicated to all those women, regardless of nationality, who came her, often with children in tow, to start a new life in America.  

He also shows the beautiful waterfall cascading from the upper level to the lower. 

Croatians in Cleveland

The World should have listened

 I was going through some old videos and found this from 2016.

During the Parade of Flags at the 71st annual One World Day in the Centennial Year of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on MLK Blvd. members of the Ukrainian Cultural Garden chanted “Putin, get out of Ukraine” as they marched.

Mead – the oldest alcohol known to man

 We stopped at the Feisty Mead booth at the 2022 Ohio Celtic Festival in Painesville just east of Cleveland. Mead is a drink more similar to beer and wine than hard liquors.  Variations can resemble cider or beer or, as in the case of Feisty Mead, more like wine.  

The alcohol content is a little over 13% and they have a variety of flavorings and spices.  Brian from Feisty Mead told us that mead is the oldest alcohol known to man primarily because it’s so easy to make. 

Mossy Moran plays Jake the Peg

Mossy Moran performed at the 2022 Ohio Celtic Festival in Painesville just east of Cleveland. 

He played this song about a man named Jake who had an extra leg.  Jake the Peg was written by Rolf Harris who also wrote the classic Australian song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". 

Puerto Rican Parade and Festival

 The annual Cleveland Puerto Rican Parade was held Sunday August 7th. The Parade was put on by the Hispanic Police Officers' Association (HPOA) which has been proudly serving it's members and the greater Cleveland community since it was founded in 1986.

The 2022 Parade Honorees were:

• Ramonita Vargas, Grand Marshal
• Victor Ruiz, Padrino
• Keisha González, Madrina
• Zaria Ivelisse Ortiz, Miss Teen Puerto Rico 2022

Click on the white arrow below to watch a video of some highlights of the Parade including former Cleveland Indians Carlos Baerga and Candy Maldonado. I did not include the cars and other vehicles in the parade - they will be in a separate video. I also did not include the many politicians in the parade.

See lots of pictures and video of the Puerto Rican Parade and Festival

Jain community packs 10,000 meals for Refugees

 I admit that I didn't know much about Jains and Jainism before this event.

Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself.

In this video, Atul Shah from the Jain Society of Greater Cleveland told of the 3 main principles of Jainism: Strict non-violence, Many-sided Reality and Non-attachment to possessions. Jains go beyond being vegans - what he called Jain Vegan where even root vegetables are not eaten. He estimates there are 350 or so Jains in the Cleveland area.

On Saturday August 6 the Jain Society of Greater Cleveland held a working event at the Jain Temple in Richfield Ohio called Compassion in Action where the group packed 10,000 Meals for Refugees around the World. Joining them was Richfield Mayor Michael Wheeler and his wife.

Watch a video of the workers packing meals.

See more about Jains and the Meals for Refugees

Dunham Tavern Museum

 The Rotary Club of Cleveland had a special meeting at the Dunham Tavern Museum on Thursday July 28, 2022.

Once a stagecoach stop on Buffalo-Cleveland-Detroit post road, today Dunham Tavern Museum is the oldest building still standing on its original site in the city of Cleveland.

Rufus and Jane Pratt Dunham came to the Western Reserve in 1819 from Massachusetts and built their first home on the site in 1824, and the existing taproom was built in 1842. It is believed to be the first building constructed on Euclid Avenue east of East 55th Street. It later became a stagecoach stop and tavern.

Cleveland activist and landscape architect, A. Donald Gray purchased the home in 1932, restoring the 19th century architecture and replanting the orchard.

They have a new Executive Director, a new neighbor (the Cleveland Foundation) and a new plan.

See photos and videos of the Dunham Tavern Museum