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.  

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

Jovan Ducic Bust Dedication in the Serbian Cultural Garden

The Serbian Cultural Garden in Cleveland continues to grow. A new bust of Jovan Ducic was dedicated on Sunday July 10th in the Serbian Cultural Garden.

Jovan Ducic (1871 - 1943) was a renowned Serbian poet, academic, diplomat and patriot. He served as Yugoslavia's Ambassador to multiple countries about which he wrote in his poems and travelogues. Following the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in 1941 Ducic went into exile in the US where he led the Serbian National Defense Council fighting for the interests of the Serbian diaspora.

A blessing and dedication was held Sunday July 10, 2022.

See photos and videos of the Jovan Ducic Bust Dedication

The scale of the German Cultural Garden

 I took this photo at One World Day on August 29, 2021.

It shows the scale of the Goethe-Schiller monument in the German Cultural Garden.  Impressive!

More on 2021 One World Day

Berj Shakarian inducted in Cleveland International Hall of Fame

 Architect Berj Shakarian was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.  Berj was the driving force behind the Armenian Cultural Garden in Cleveland as well as the Centennial Peace Plaza among other projects. 

Armenian Cultural Garden

Berj Shakarian in the Plaza

Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation president Dr. Wael Khoury introduced Berj and then previous inductee Paul Burik presented Berj and gave him his CIHF award and pin. 

 Berj then gave his acceptance speech.

More on the Cleveland International Hall of Fame 2020 inductions

Serbian Cultural Garden in Cleveland Ohio USA

 The Serbian Cultural Garden is one of over 30 ethnic heritage gardens in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Cleveland Ohio. 

The founder and driving force of the Serbian Cultural Garden is Serbian Honorary Consul Alex Machaskee. 

Alex gave some history and led a tour of the Garden explaining the various features including the large icon of St. Sava and the busts of Nikola Tesla, King Peter 1, Mileva Maric, Nadezda Petrovic, Michael Pupin, Milutin Milankovic, Petar Njegos, Stevan Mokranjac, Vuk Karadzic and other Serbian cultural figures. 

See more of the Serbian community of Cleveland

Fun with Maps - Feedback and Foldable Maps

In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson considers some viewer feedback and answers their questions. He explains what the dots on the maps mean and shows the world map on the stage of the new plaza in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

Then he gives a demo of the classic old school foldable paper map that has been around forever.

See more Fun with Maps

Ukrainian Cultural Garden in Bloom

The Ukrainian Cultural Garden in Cleveland was in bloom when we visited on April 28, 2020. The beautiful flowering trees framed the statue of Lesya Ukrainka.

Lesya Ukrainka statue

More photos of Ukrainian Cultural Garden

Russian Cultural Garden Springtime

Flowers were in bloom in the Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland when we visited on April 28, 2020. The tulips by the sign were a welcome addition to the bust of Yuri Gagarin, the ring of honor and other features of the Garden.

Russian Garden photos

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Centennial Peace Plaza progress

The first of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens was established in 1916 making the Gardens over 100 years old. The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) is the non-profit volunteer-led group that governs the Gardens. They decided to honor the centennial by making a gift to the community in the form of the Centennial Peace Plaza.

The motto of the CCGF is "Peace through Mutual Understanding" and the Plaza is designed to be a gathering place for the community to share music, dance, art, education, camaraderie and share ethnic heritages.

The multi-ton medallion is just a few feet away from the much-traveled MLK Boulevard so will be a focal point of the Plaza.

Video tour and photos of the Plaza

Dan's first novel published - ​Murder in the Cultural Gardens

"It just didn’t seem right to DJ.  A body found bludgeoned in a place known for “Peace through Mutual Understanding.”  But there she was, crumpled behind a bust of composer Franz Liszt in the Hungarian Cultural Garden.   He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.  “What is the nature of your emergency?” the dispatcher queried.  With a suddenly very dry mouth DJ managed to get out, “There’s been a murder in the Cultural Gardens.” 

That's the opening paragraph in my novel.  It's a whodunit that takes place in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.  

I have a quick webpage set up - Murder in the Cultural Gardens
and the book is available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon 

Let me know what you think!

Cultural Gardens Plaza Progress

Jose Casanova with Lakeland Construction gave Dan Hanson an update on the construction of the Centennial Peace Plaza project of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation. Architect Berj Shakarian is seen at the end. Look for the ribbon cutting in May 2020.

One World Day 2019 in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosted the 74th annual One World Day on August 25, 2019. Police estimates say that over 30,000 people visited the Gardens and attended One World Day.

Reminding people to fill out the Census

Youngest volunteer in the ClevelandPeople.com booth

Gaelic Glen Alpacas in the Children's Village

Lady Liberty marching

Having fun with the Passports

Getting ready to perform

Lots of photos and videos of One World Day

Naturalization Ceremony on One World Day

After the Parade of Flags on One World Day, people gathered in the Serbian Garden for the traditional Welcome and Naturalization Ceremony. 

This began with the posting of the colors by a Cleveland Police Color Guard and the singing of the National Anthem led by the Kosovo Choir.

Kosovo Choir

Then there were remarks from Serbian Cultural Garden president Alex Machaskee, Cleveland Cultural Gardens president Dr. Wael Khoury, past-president Sheila Crawford, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, County Council's Yvonne Conwell and City Council's Kevin Conwell.

Mayor Frank Jackson and Dr. Wael Khoury

Next came the highlight of the ceremony - the swearing in of almost 2 dozen new citizens from all over the world. Solomon Oliver Jr. is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He made some remarks and then led the oath of citizenship.

See more from the One World Day Naturalization Ceremony

Welcome New Citizens

Judge Solomon Oliver Jr.

Baltic Way remembered on One World Day

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosted the 74th annual One World Day on August 25, 2019. Police estimates say that over 30,000 people visited the Gardens and attended One World Day.

A highlight of One World Day is the Parade of Flags where people in costumes of their heritage carry the flags. This year was undoubtedly the largest and most colorful in memory. Efforts were made to include communities that do not (yet) have a Cultural Garden and they were warmly welcomed.

A very special event took place just as the Parade units reached the reviewing stand. The Baltic Way or Baltic Chain was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on August 23, 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to form a human chain spanning 675.5 kilometers (419.7 mi) across the three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which were considered at the time to be constituent republics of the Soviet Union.

Baltic Way sign in the Latvian Garden on One World Day

To commemorate this historic event and in keeping with the Cultural Gardens motto of "Peace through Mutual Understanding" a remembrance of the Baltic Way took place.

Baltic Nations at One World Day

Honorary Consul of Lithuania Ingrida Bublys was joined on stage by  Honorary Consul of Estonia Mary Nippert.

TV news anchor Chris Tanaka,
Honorary Consul of Lithuania Ingrida Bublys and
Honorary Consul of Estonia Mary Nippert

Consul Bublys told of the Baltic Way that took place 30 years earlier in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The marchers in the Parade of Flags at One World Day, led by delegations from the Baltic countries, commemorated this historic event by forming their own human chain joining hands along Martin Luther King Blvd. in Cleveland.

The Cleveland commemoration of the Baltic Way was produced by Dan Hanson with Angela Woodson, Al Griffin and members of their team after learning of the historic event from Roman Zorska. The Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian communities came on board first and then all others to show solidarity with the ideals of the historic Baltic Way and showcase the diversity of Cleveland. The chain stretched far down MLK Blvd. in Cleveland with thousands joining hands.

Video and photos of the Baltic Way in Cleveland

Parade of Flags at 2019 One World Day in Cleveland

A highlight of the 74th annual One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens is the annual Parade of Flags where marchers in native costumes and flags of their heritage march down MLK Blvd.

Puerto Rico in Parade

Chinese Garden

Haiti in Parade

In 2019, after the marchers commemorated the historic Baltic Way of 30 years ago by forming their own human chain joining hands along Martin Luther King Blvd, the Parade resumed.

Units included communities of Chinese, Peruvian, German, Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, Mexican, Haitian, Sudanese, Latvian, Estonian, Slovak, Slovenian, French, Hmong, Syrian, Lebanese, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Colombian, Finnish, Indian, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Greek, Romanian, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Armenian, Vietnamese, Korean, Uzbek, Turkish, Rusin, Czech, and more.  Channel 19 news anchor Chris Tanaka and Sheila Murphy Crawford served as MCs.

See more of the Parade of Flags at One World Day

RIP Ben Stefanski

Ben Stefanski was a community leader and philanthropist especially in his beloved Slavic Village neighborhood. He was a history buff who brought that knowledge to current problems such as crime, poverty and clean water.

He worked on numerous projects including the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, regional leader for the Kosciuszko Foundation, worked and accomplished much for the City of Cleveland under Mayor Michael White, and in his earlier years was with Third Federal Savings and Loan, a national financial institution founded by his family.

Ben passed away on Saturday July 6, 2019.

We were proud that Ben served as Polish Ambassador for ClevelandPeople.com

Ben Stefanski in the Polish Cultural Garden

Ben Stefanski

Judge Karpinski, Ben Sefansi and Madame Curie bust

See the official profile of Ben Stefanski by Debbie Hanson

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Centennial Peace Plaza Groundbreaking Ceremony

On June 11, 2019 the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Centennial Peace Plaza in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

After welcome and speeches, the actual groundbreaking took place with CCGF President Dr. Wael Khoury being joined by the Plaza committee leaders, major donors, Mayor Frank Jackson and others for the ceremonial shoveling of dirt.

Groundbreaking of Centennial Peace Plaza

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation Executive Board

Photos and videos of the Cultural Gardens Centennial Peace Plaza groundbreaking

Lebanese Cultural Garden Groundbreaking

Phase 1 of the plans to create a Lebanese Cultural Garden, part of the chain of Cleveland Cultural Gardens, took place on Saturday May 4, 2019 with a ceremonial groundbreaking event.

Lebanese Cultural Garden

Pierre Bejjani, Chairman of the American Lebanese Community Council told the story of how Lebanese Cultural Garden, part of the chain of Cleveland Cultural Gardens, came about. He said "The dream has become a reality."

See more photos and videos from the Lebanese Cultural Garden

The next generation

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