Beachland Ballroom in Top Ten

Today's Plain Dealer Friday Magazine's cover story was about the Top Ten places that make Cleveland rock.

We are proud that one of these Top Ten places is located in North Shores Collinwood. The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern located at 15711 Waterloo Road was ranked number two overall.

Since number one was Record Rendezvous on Prospect (the birthplace of Rock-n-Roll and the major reason that the Rock Hall was located in Cleveland), I think number two is a perfectly good ranking.

More Records on Waterloo

Blue Arrow Records opens tonight! See you there!

Pete Gulyas, record collector and co-owner of the former Renaissance Parlour vintage clothing and accessories store on Coventry, is opening a new store in the Waterloo district.

Blue Arrow Records and Books, located at 16001 Waterloo Road, is named for the vintage sign outside the building. The store will feature quality used LPs, 45s, and 78s from the 1950s to the present day. You will be able to peruse selections from jazz, country, classic rock, soul, and rock-n-roll.

For anyone who does not know Pete, they will get a sense of his personality the minute they enter Blue Arrow Records and Books. Pete personally renovated the 1300 square foot space, including the incredible floor, which he covered entirely with vintage album covers.

Blue Arrow Records and Books will not only be a haven for those with a love of music, but a destination for people looking for unique items. Pete not only plans to sell used vinyl records, but magazines, t-shirts, furniture, and other cool merchandise. Blue Arrow Records and Books will compliment the already eclectic stores that line Waterloo Road, including the Waterloo 7 Art Gallery, Shoparooni, Music Saves, and the Beachland Ballroom/This Way Out.

Prepare for Tax Day

It is less than a month until your taxes are due. Before you know it, April 15th will be right here.

Need some advice about the impending April 15th tax date? We called on Frank Revy who lives in the neighborhood and just opened Nottingham Tax and Financial, which is a financial services business on East 185th Street.

The following was what Frank asked us to share with the neighborhood:

April 15th is the deadline for filing your individual tax returns.

The deadline applies for your Federal, State, and Local returns.

Most people have filed their returns by now. However, you might be part of the sizable portion of the demographic that still hasn’t gotten around to preparing their tax returns.

If your situation isn’t complex, my advice would be to get off your duff and do it! Either take the time, or shell out the dough to hire a professional - but do it now! The IRS even provides free help to file your return.

If your return is more complex, you might want to consider filing an extension.

Here are some extension filing basics:

1. The deadline to file is April 15th. Use the Form 4868 to file your extension.

2. If you know you will owe money, you must still send money with the extension. An extension allows for the late filing of a tax return. It does not allow for late payment of taxes. Interest and Penalties will accrue on the amount owed after April 15th whether you filed an extension or not.

3. If you are not sure about the exact amount that you owe, you probably should send off an estimated amount that is a bit more than what you think it might be to be on the safe side. When you send in your final return, you will receive the excess amount you sent as a refund. Or you could choose to credit the amount towards your next year’s tax bill.

4. The extension gives you six months from April 15th. So - the deadline to finalize your 2008 tax return would move to October 15th, 2009.

5. Penalties for late filing and late payment can be steep.

6. Generally, the State of Ohio and most localities accept your Form 4868 attached to your state or local tax form when you file those returns after the deadline.

If you hire a professional, they usually take care of all the extension details for you.

For more information visit www.irs.gov

I can be reached at nottinghamfinancial@me.com for further inquiries.

Frank sold himself short in his advice above. If you use a professional, why leave the neighborhood? Contact Frank now at nottinghamfinancial@me.com and schedule the first appointment that will lead to your financial freedom.

Diocese keeps St. Jerome's Open!

Northeast Shores and the neighborhood were surprised and had a huge sigh of relief when this past weekend we learned that Bishop Lennon would not be closing St. Jerome's Church (as we previously believed). We are incredibly grateful to the Bishop and the Diocese for showing their faith in our community by keeping this essential church and school open.

We want to thank everyone that sent a letter or made a phone call in an effort to save St. Jerome's Church. While we do not know the exact reasons that the Diocese chose to keep St. Jerome's Church open (and maintain Our Lady of Perpetual Help as an ethnic church), we believe that the outpouring of support from parishioners and residents helped our cause.

Below is the letter of thanks that we sent to the Bishop in regards to this decision. Feel free to send your own thank you letter if you see fit.

March 19, 2009

Bishop Richard Lennon
Diocese of Cleveland
1027 Superior Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Dear Bishop Lennon:

I want to thank you profusely for hearing our plea to keep St. Jerome’s Church and School open. We greatly appreciate the faith this shows in the strength of North Shores Collinwood.

Due to your vote of confidence, this neighborhood can continue to boast our wonderful Catholic Church just minutes from the shores of Lake Erie.

We understand that you were charged with an incredibly difficult task in naming congregations that must close or merge. While I am sure this process was draining, please accept our sincere thanks that you did right by our community.

Thank you for being a friend to our neighborhood and please let us know if there is anything that Northeast Shores can do to help St. Jeromes, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, or the Catholic Diocese.

Sincerely,
Brian A. Friedman
Executive Director
Northeast Shores

Survey about Lakefront

A neighborhood resident just let us know about an online survey regarding Lakefront access in Cleveland. The survey is being conducted by a Cleveland State Student seeking a planning degree.

If you have five minutes, please complete the survey. Of course, plugging our great (and improving) lake parks here in North Shores Collinwood couldn't hurt either.

Just follow the link and survey away:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XjGpQN8XWjt7YnLVYxLqSw_3d_3d

Mayor notes Waterloo

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson gave his State of the City Address recently. During the speech, he noted the growth of Waterloo Road as a destination arts and entertainment district.

We want to thank the Mayor for noting our efforts to improve Waterloo and make it the coolest commercial district in the region.

Please read the whole speech at:
http://www.cleveland-oh.gov/clnd_images/PDF/Mayor/2009StateoftheCityAddress.pdf

Spring Newsletter now Available

The Spring 2009 edition of the Northeast Shore Lines newsletter is now available. Pick one up at your favorite North Collinwood shop or eatery.

If you are a member of Northeast Shores, you should have received your copy in the mail. To become a member, e-mail Denise Lorek at dlorek@northeastshores.org.

Can't get out? Can't get your mail? Really need to read the newsletter RIGHT NOW?!? Check it out on-line at:
http://www.northeastshores.org/newsletter.php

Taste the Neighborhood was Delicious

Last Wednesday, Northeast Shores hosted our Taste the Neighborhood event. The food was great, the company better, and fun was had by all. We want to thank all of the neighborhood restaurants that supported the event by donating their delicious munchies. Please show your thanks by supporting independent restaurants here (and everywhere). We also want to thank Jackpot Festival and onefundj for providing the music.

Besides the great eats, we also gave out the 2008 awards for the neighborhood. Award winners learned that night that they had won. Winners included:

Neighborhood Investment of the Year: Key Bank for the construction of the East 185th Street Branch and promise to donate the closed Waterloo Branch to Northeast Shores.

Neighborhood Investment of the Year: Shoparooni for starting the Waterloo Walls project, creating a Waterloo scavenger hunt, expanding into the annex and getting Waterloo national television exposure on ABC's Wife Swap.

Block Club of the Year: Overlook Park Drive Association for their strong representation of the neighborhood in deliberations with the Christian Life Center.

Volunteer of the Year: Mary Louise Jesek Daley for her various projects to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Collinwood School Fire.

And - Last but not least -


Collinwood Hall of Fame inductee - Miles Kennedy was the 2008 inductee for his support of Waterloo Road, Northeast Shores, and Arts Collinwood. Miles received a standing ovation for being inducted into the Hall of Fame and some people teared up as Miles accepted his honor.

If you were there, hope you enjoyed yourself. If you missed it, hope you will think long and hard about what happened last Wednesday that was more kick-butt than our Taste the Neighborhood event.

Waterloo Walls Community Meeting

Come join the Waterloo Walls Community Meeting this March 9, 2009!

Who should attend?
Anyone and everyone who wants to see the proposed murals and put their two cents in.

Where is it?
The Arts Collinwood Community Center, at the corner of East 156th and Waterloo in the Blue Bird Jazz building.

When is it?
Monday, March 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

What are we doing?
Have a couple cookies and a coffee and take a peek at the proposals submitted by local artists. Learn about what's planned for this spring and discuss your ideas about public art on Waterloo.

Community feedback will play a huge part in the final artwork so we look forward to seeing you and hearing your thoughts.

Waterloo Walls is a community-based public art festival dedicated to rebuilding the Waterloo Arts District. By bringing people together to beautify the area, Waterloo Walls will build lasting relationships within Waterloo and the larger community. Waterloo Walls is sponsored by Arts Collinwood and Northeast Shores.

Learn more at www.waterloowalls.com