Low Life opens Holiday Show

The newest gallery on Waterloo, Low Life, just opened their holiday show, "Dad screwed up Christmas again!". Check it out at 16001 Waterloo Road and buy some art for your drunk Uncle Charlie.

Here is the gallery exhibit in Low Life's own words:

The holidays aren’t always the happiest time of year!

Nestled within a seemingly festive family ritual burrows the buckle of an anxious stomach or the pop of frustrated knuckles. Therefore, in both holiday merriment and perplexity, Low Life Gallery is kicking off the holiday season with a collection of artists who have put a magnifying glass to the otherwise obscure holiday sentiment.

In the name of our profound love/hate relationship with the season, observe an endearingly twisted group show that bears a warped rendition of the classic American holiday.

Featured artists include but are not limited to:
Amanda Davidson
Chris Kulscar
Ed Boyle
Hannah Verbeuren
Gabriel Van Horn
K. Stewart
Kerry Lange
MalPractice U.J.
Mik Mackey

Low Life Gallery
16001 Waterloo Road
Cleveland, OH 44110

Opening Reception
Friday, November 28th, 2008
7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Hannah Verbeuren and Kerry Lange recently curated “Crying Polyester Peckers” their first show in a series of shows that include multiple artists attacking a common theme from their own idiosyncratic perspective.

Kerry and Hannah have started a different approach to independent art shows by setting up shows that keep their work and subject matter fresh and contemporary. “We want to keep ourselves and our audience interested or inspired” says Hannah, “by choosing one topic, then creating the art around that theme, we initiate a challenge for ourselves and the artists we chose to work with. For us, this formula is more stimulating than simply compiling a regurgitation of our past work.”

"Crying Polyester Peckers" opened to an encouraging crowd of 100 plus art lovers/Clevelanders and took sightseers on a journey into the unconventional world of John Waters.

# # # #
Hannah Verbeuren Photography
http://web.mac.com/hannah138
http://hannahverbeurenphotography.blogspot.com

Kerry Lange
http://kerrylangeoffbeatart.blogspot.com

Low Life Gallery
http://www.myspace.com/lowlifecleveland

Die Crawling Media
www.diecrawlingmedia.com
www.myspace.com/diecrawling

Message from Kollander World Travel

Kollander World Travel asked us to post this on their behalf. Take a read about the future of Kollander Travel:

It is my pleasure to officially inform you that as of 1DEC 2008 – Kollander World Travel will be leaving the AAA-East Central organization after 5 years of cooperation with AAA. We have been given the opportunity to continue our focus on international travel while continuing to serve the travel needs of the local community. We will convert the ongoing operation and re-emerge as a new Ohio company: Kollander World Travel. We will be keeping the same location at the 971 Building on E.185th Street, our long standing phone numbers, web site address, and most importantly, all the existing employees.

International cooperation with one of our long time vendor partners became a logical path to growth for the KWT staff. This affiliation allows us to better leverage our nationally recognized expertise in worldwide travel. This opportunity to separate was presented by AAA East Central management early this summer. They had abandoned plans to expand the Kollander office into an AAA branch office on E. 185th after the acquisition by AAA-East Central of Pittsburgh about 3 years ago.

Kollander World Travel will continue to be actively engaged in marketing and selling leisure and corporate travel to the area community and will increase our efforts in the custom group tour and cruise products for which we are well known. We are determined to continue our relationships with our key local partners and organizations as we go forward.

This transition will involve the transfer of the ongoing operation of Kollander World Travel during the early part of December. Every effort is being made to maintain client service and complete customer satisfaction over the course of the change. We continue to value our relationship with the AAA organization and the many AAA members we have been proud to serve over these years and into the future.

We look forward to working closely with the local community and hope to be more involved in the renaissance of the North East Shores.

Thank You and Best Regards,
Michael J. Benz
Kollander World Travel
216-692-1000
www.kollander.com

UpStage Players has open auditions

UpStage Players presents Auditions for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Audition Dates:
Saturday, December 6th for children 7 to 11 years of age
Sunday, December 7th for children 12 to 15 years of age

Location: Slovenian Workmen's Home, 15335 Waterloo, Cleveland, Ohio 44110

Registrations starts at 9:00 AM both days. Auditions start at 9:30 AM sharp; no latecomers will be admitted. Auditions end at 2:30 PM and all performers must stay the entire time. A short break will be allowed for a snack which will be available for purchase. Parents must be present at the beginning of auditions and are required to attend a mandatory meeting.

Performers should come prepared with a song to audition with (not from Joseph and no accompaniment). Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes and bring lots of energy.

Please bring a current photo and birth certificate for the performer. There is a $5.00 folder and copying fee due at auditions. Callbacks will be scheduled by the Artistic Director.

Performance dates are April 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2009. Tech week will be March 28th through April 2nd, 2009. All actors, actresses, and Tech Crew must attend all of Tech Week.

Questions? Please call Carrie Walsh-Hilf or Bud Hilf at (216) 731-5793 or e-mail at upstagetickets@yahoo.com.

www.upstageplayers.com

Holly Golightly Benefit is a Hit

Holly GoLightly had her garden party concert at the Beachland Ballroom last Friday night November 14th to benefit the North Shores Community Gardens Project.

For $20.00 you got to meet Holly before the concert, get her autograph and then hear her concert at the Beachland Ballroom. Part of that $20.00 was donated to the North Shores Community Garden project, which is being managed by Northeast Shores Development Corporation.

The Community Garden Project is for the development of community gardens in empty lots where condemned homes are being demolished by the city of Cleveland and reclaimed.

If you have a chance, check out Holly’s new album entitled “Dirt Don’t Hurt”. It’s a mixture of electric country blues, folk and silky rock & roll.

If you were not able to attend last Friday night's concert and would like to donate to support the creation of a community garden, we will greatly appreciate your donations. You can call the Beachland Ballroom at 216-383-1124 or Northeast Shores Development Corporation at 216-481-7660 to donate. The concert was presented as part of the Green City on a Blue Lake initiative.

The photo is of Cindy Barber, Holly Golightly, Katherine Isenhart, and Denise Lorek making gardening plans.

The Facade is falling at the LaSalle

The Façade is falling at the LaSalle

The barricades and “do not cross this line” installation has been placed at the streetscape of the LaSalle Theatre located at 819-827 East 185th Street.

The barricades were installed by the City of Cleveland to protect the health and safety of residents and passersby.

The current property owners are Crock Real Estate, which is the Holding Company for ParkView Federal Savings. ParkView is in Cleveland Housing Court over the condition of the LaSalle’s façade. They are awaiting the findings of an engineer to determine the cause of the falling sandstone. The engineer will very likely make short term and long term recommendations regarding the methodology of the repair. Recommendations do not necessitate action though.

If you are concerned about the condition of the building, please call Anne Johnson at ParkView. Tell her you want the LaSalle Theater repaired now! Her number is (440) 248-7171.

For further information or to air concerns, call our office and ask for John Boksansky at 216 481-7660 or jboksansky@northeastshores.org

Come out and support our community gardens

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY GARDEN PARTY TO BENEFIT THE NORTH SHORES COMMUNITY GARDENS PROJECT

Friday, November 14, 7:30 pm

Please join British chanteuse Holly Golightly for a concert to benefit the North Shores Community Gardens project, the development of community gardens in empty lots where condemned homes are being demolished by the city of the Cleveland and reclaimed. The project is to be managed by Northeast Shores Development Corporation, the local development corporation in the Beachland neighborhood. Tickets for the event are $20 per person and include a pre-show meet and greet with Holly Golightly, plus the live performance of the acclaimed songstress, who was famously featured on the White Stripes track "It's True That We Love One Another" from the Stripes Elephant release.

Her new album Dirt Don't Hurt is a mixture of electric country blues, folk and silky rock & roll. It brings to mind evenings on a dusty front porch with your faithful hound, cracked hearts and foot stomping good times.
For tickets, please call the Beachland at 216-383-1124. If you are not able to attend but would like to support the creation of a community garden in the North Shores community, we will gratefully accept your $20 donation. Presented as part of the Green City on a Blue Lake initiative.

Beachland Ballroom
15711 Waterloo Rd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44110
www.beachlandballroom.com

Values of Northeast Shores

During a conference in Youngstown this past Friday (http://www.regionallearningnetwork.org/), I had the opportunity to learn more about effectively telling the story of Northeast Shores and our role in improving the North Shores Collinwood neighborhood.

At the core of the presentation of Dick Brooks from Action Media (http://www.actionmedia.org/) was that we need to share our stories based on shared values.

So, here is what I came up with. Please share with me your thoughts on other core values missing or if you think this is representative of Northeast Shores and North Shores Collinwood.

The mission of Northeast Shores is to create a better North Shores Collinwood to live, work and visit. But, what is our core goal? I believe our core goal is making North Shores Collinwood competitive.

What exactly is Northeast Shores trying to do? Our vision of a successful community is one where investment occurs as we witness homes being improved and businesses are open and thriving. Further, our residents are safe, educated and our children are happy. Further, our parks are active pleasant places which are known for being busy.

So, what are our underlying values? We believe that our community's core values are equality, stability, freedom of choice, and that the community is a energizing/vibrant/dynamic area.

What do you think? Tell us what neighborhood and/or Northeast Shores success looks like to you. In your opinion, what are the core values of this community?

Thanks,
Brian A. Friedman
Executive Director

Waterloo wins multiple Northern Ohio Live awards

The October 2008 issue of Northern Ohio Live included several awards for Waterloo Businesses.

Northern Ohio Live awarded:
This Way Out (15711 Waterloo) for Best Bargain Basement
Shoparooni (15813 Waterloo) for Best Weird Gifts
Music Saves (15801 Waterloo) for Best Scoop on Indie Music

Get all the details on these great awards at:
http://www.northernohiolive.com/archives/08-10oct/story3.htm

Waterloo Merchant on Wife Swap!

Tune in to ABC this Friday, November 7th, at 8:00 pm to check out Shoparooni owners Marlee and Steve Brown on Wife Swap!

Steve Brown is a world-renowned yo-yo artist and his exploits are all over YouTube, but this is one of the first time you can check out his skills during prime-time.

Having seen Wife Swap several times and knowing the Browns, I can tell you that Friday should make for a very interesting hour of reality television.

If you want to check out the episode in the neighborhood, there will be a viewing party at the Boardwalk, 16011 Waterloo! Pop in to Shoparooni before the show at 7:00 to check out the Plushform custom toy show.

The Plain Dealer also covered the Browns on Wife Swap. This is what they said:

'Wife Swap' sends Marlee Brown of Cleveland Heights off to Idaho
Sunday, November 02, 2008

The Brown household in Cleveland Heights runs on free-spirited energy.

Dad Steve is a wizard with a yo-yo and loves his velvet Elvis that hangs over the couch. Mom Marlee is a graphic designer who pads around the house in owl slippers. Because they are parents who primarily work from home, there isn't a lot of clock watching.

The Neighbor family in Idaho believes in rigid schedules, eat-off-the-floor cleanliness and being tops in every endeavor.

What happens when a member of the Neighbor clan comes to live with the Browns? Find out on "Wife Swap," at 8 p.m. Friday on WEWS Channel 5.

On the ABC reality show, wives from dissimilar families swap homes for two weeks. (Get your mind out of the gutter; the wives sleep in guest rooms.)

During the first week, the wife tries to fit into her new family's routines. For the second week, each mom establishes new rules for her substitute family.

"Wife Swap" producers contacted the Browns because the show was looking for a family with a performer. Steve, a yo-yo master, was recommended by the man who runs an international yo-yo competition. Although Steve, 32, and Marlee, 29, had never watched "Wife Swap," they signed up.

"It was one of those, 'Why not?' moments," said Marlee, a native of South Euclid.

The Browns own Shoparooni, a gift boutique in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood. Their family includes Zane Rouse, 12, and 3-year-old Maverick. Toddler Trixie was not included in the episode, which was shot in the spring.

Jessica Neighbor, 36, the spit-and-polish mom, clearly felt that the Brown house and its occupants weren't clean or organized enough. How did Steve react?

"With admirable restraint and the patience of Job," he said. "She was very scrutinizing."

Marlee Brown stayed at the Neighbor home with dad Alan, 48, daughter Kassidy, 11, and son Kaden, 9. Marlee had to manage the kids' schedule of activities, sports and chores. She realized both families want their children to be successful but approach that goal differently.

While they didn't agree with the Neighbors' approach to child-rearing, going on "Wife Swap" made their family stronger by letting them see it through outsiders' eyes. Steve said he and his stepson, Zane, became closer as they shared duties in Marlee's absence.

Marlee would do it all over again.

"It was a really cool life experience," she said.

Check out the full story at: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1225528487214040.xml&coll=2&thispage=2