Northeast Shores

For the fifth year the Easter Bunny had breakfast with the children of North Shore Collinwood. On Saturday, March 23, Northeast Shores and VASJ hosted Breakfast with the Easter Bunny. The children had a great time getting their picture taken with the Easter Bunny, crafting with the student volunteers of VASJ and going on an Easter Egg Hunt in the gym of VASJ.

Breakfast was donated for the fifth year in a row by Gus’s Diner. We had some yummy French Toast and Sausage. A big thank you to Koula and Lou, from Gus’s Diner for supporting this event again! 

This event would not have been possible without the student volunteers from VASJ and their teacher coordinator Jill Latkovich. These students under Ms. Latkovich’s direction are an awesome group of students. They patiently served up breakfast, did crafts with the children and face-painted. I would also like to thank the Easter Bunny for visiting our neighborhood and spending time with our children.

As you can tell from the picture, the children of North Shore Collinwood had a great time.

On May 18, 2013 the East 185th Street community will be hosting “Alive on East 185”, a family-friendly event featuring a parade beginning at 11:00 AM and a sidewalk sale/party immediately following, until 5 PM. There is no admission charge, and all are welcome to attend!

The parade will begin at Villaview and East 185th (near Muldoon’s Saloon & Eatery) and will continue down East 185th until it reaches Lakeshore Boulevard. The parade is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM.

Once the parade has ended, local merchants will set up a street-wide sidewalk sale/party, allowing everyone to enjoy what East 185th St. has to offer. Alongside the merchants will be local groups and organizations providing information about their many activities and programs. There will also be an Inflatables area set up for the children to enjoy free of charge.

Please mark your calendar for May 18th, at 11:00 to join us for this street wide Celebration of the Community!

If your group or organization would like to participate in the parade or sidewalk party, please contact: Denise Lorek, Community Organizer for Northeast Shores at 216-481-7660 or dlorek@northeastshores.org

Happy Spring/Winter/Spring/Winter and eventually Spring! While you’re waiting for Old Man Winter to concede, take a look at the latest installment of featured Facebook pages from the arts and business community.  Please feel free to visit, read about their wonderful services, and click on the like button.  

1. Beachland Ballroom
   The Beachland Ballroom was built in 1950 as the Croatian Liberty Home, with the ballroom and tavern comprising the original structure. The Liberty Home was active on many social and political fronts and was a true Cleveland landmark before becoming Cleveland's most eclectic music club in the year 2000.

www.facebook.com/beachlandballroom?fref=ts

1. Chili Peppers

Chili Peppers is proud of their super fresh food including their semi-famous Build Your Own Burritos -  BYO (or try the wet or grilled foil wrapped BYO or soft tacos and burrito plates). Chili Peppers gives you the choice of over 30 items, both hot and cold, so you can customize your meal the way YOU want.

www.facebook.com/pages/Chili-Peppers-Fresh-Mexican-Grill/100903303287760?fref=ts

1. Native Cleveland
   An eclectic shop featuring independent local artisans and crafters. You’ll find unique Cleveland-related t-shirts, jewelry, home decor, soaps, wall art, fine art photography, art prints, and other knick-knacks, all made here in Cleveland. The majority of our designer works are handmade, locally made and/or one-of-a-kind creations. 

www.facebook.com/NativeCleveland?fref=ts

On February 19, 2013 Northeast Shores hosted the 5th Annual Taste the Neighborhood Award dinner and Fundraiser at the Lithuanian Hall. If you were not there, you missed one heck of a party. We had food donated by Beachland Ballroom, B&M BarBQ, Blitz BBQ, Cakes By Sweetwater, Callaloo Café and Bar, Chilli Peppers, Chloe’s Kitchen Diner, Congin’s Pizza, Convenient East 200th St., Dave’s Supermarket, Fresh Catch, Georgio’s Pizza, Gus’s Diner 185, Gostilna at Knezak, Grovewood Tavern, Lithuanian Hall, Muldoons, Scotti’s, T.B’s Hhot Dogs. As you can tell from the list of restaurant donors there was some very tasty food being served that night.

In addition to the food that night Northeast shores gave awards out to some very worthy groups and individuals. The award recipients this year were in the following categories:

North Collinwood Hall of Fame - Francis Hunter, for her dedication to North Shores Collinwood.

Partner of the Year - Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland, for partnering with us in the "Cover Your Assets" Roofing Program.

Business Investment of the Year - Muldoon's owner Billy Dagg, for providing the “Neighborhood Gathering Place," a wonderful outdoor patio.

Block Club of the Year -  Shore Acres Block Club/Homeowners Association, for their dedication to their neighborhood.

Volunteer of the Year -  Leonard “Lenny” Kedys, for his many hours of volunteer work repainting the marquee on the LaSalle Theater.

The night would not have been complete without our own neighborhood DJ, John Copic helping emcee the event.

If you like fresh garden vegetables, we have openings in some of our Community Gardens. For those of you living on a fixed income this is a great way to make your dollars go a little further. We have several gardens in existence in North Collinwood that you can join. 

If you have a lot that you think would make a great garden let us know, we would be happy to help you start your garden. The starter vegetables are free, so are the seeds. The water is on the property, all you have to do is put a little bit of sweat equity into the garden and you will have lots of fresh produce. For the first time in the four years we have been growing our gardens, we are going to try some berries, in addition to our vegetables.

Please contact Denise Lorek at (216)-481-7660 X21 for more information on how you can join our gardens.

Would you like to learn more about the artist community in North Collinwood?  Would you like to know more about programs being offered to artists in the area? You would? Well, there’s a way you can find that information. Here’s how…… 

You can go to www.welcometocollinwood.com! The website will inform you about the various offerings to artists in the neighborhood and features what artists are already doing in our community. It’s also a place where people can make donations to support our programs and send us questions about our initiatives. So when you get a moment, please check us out! While you’re there, you can also sign up for our newsletter and stay in the loop on future programming updates.

What’s up today?  Hope the New Year has gotten off to a great start for you all.  Here is the latest installment of featured Facebook pages from the arts and business community.  Please feel free to visit, read about their wonderful services, and click on the like button.  

1. Chloe’s Kitchen Diner
   Formally Fotina’s Restaurant and features an all-day breakfast special for $2.99.  The diner is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 7am-2pm. It is located on 400 East 156th Street, near Waterloo in the Collinwood area.

www.facebook.com/ChloesKitchenDiner?fref=ts

1. Coit Road Farmer’s Market

The Coit Road Farmers Market is a Producer+ ™ farmers market located in East Cleveland and serving the Heights and surrounding areas. The Market carries a variety of locally grown produce and handmade goods. Many of our vendors participate in the Ohio WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

www.facebook.com/CoitRoadFarmersMarket?fref=ts

1. Collinwood Recreation Center
   Recreation center located at 16300 Lakeshore.  The center offers access to a gymnasium, weight room, fitness center, water slide, aqua playground, lap pool, track, computer room, art room, game room and meeting rooms.
   
   www.facebook.com/pages/Collinwood-Recreational-Center/288107734555037?fref=ts

Taste the Neighborhood is the only fundraiser that Northeast Shores Development Corporation has. We do this event once a year to try to raise funds and recognize people and businesses in the North Collinwood area that go above and beyond to help improve the Quality of Life in North Collinwood.

The award recipients this year will be in the following categories:

North Collinwood Hall of Fame: Francis Hunter for her dedication to North Collinwood.

Partner of the Year: Neighborhood Housing Services for partnering with us in the Cover Your Assets Roofing Program.

Business Investment of the Year: Muldoons owner Billy Dagg for providing the “Neighborhood Gathering Place” a wonderful outdoor patio.

Block Club of the Year: Shore Acres Block Club/Homeowners Association for their dedication to their neighborhood.

Volunteer of the Year: Leonard “Lenny” Kedys for his many hours of volunteer work repainting the marquee on the LaSalle Theater.

This year’s event promises to be the best Taste the Neighborhood in the five years that we have been hosting this event. We will again have over 20 restaurants and eateries donating food. North Collinwood boasts some of the best ethnic food around. We have Greek, Italian, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Irish, Mexican, Barbecue, comfort food and desserts from all over North Collinwood. We have many new restaurants that have recently opened and many set to open in the near future. 

This past week, with the support of the ArtPlace grant, Northeast Shores and Saving Cities released the second in a series of videos depicting the revitalization efforts happening throughout the neighborhood. This second video focuses on the Artist-in-Residence program, and recipients of the first grant round of that initiative. It tells the inspiring short stories of Omid Tavakoli and Krista Tomorrowitz, two local artists who are making tangible changes in the Waterloo district through their innovative art interventions. The video also introduces the Artist-in-Residence and Collinwood Rising program manager, Seth Beattie, along with Program Assistant - and native Collinwood resident - Tonya Broach.

This second video concludes with Brooklyn-based entrepreneur and Art Home founder, Esther Robinson. Esther has been working in conjunction with the Artist-in-Residence and Collinwood Rising initiatives, and shares a very unique and flattering outside perspective of our city and our neighborhood. You can watch the video by visiting the Northeast Shores YouTube Channel online at www.youtube.com/neshores.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny is still only five dollars which includes breakfast and a picture with the Easter Bunny.  It will take place at VASJ High School at 18491 Lakeshore Blvd. from 10 am to noon. The Easter Egg Hunt is at 11am. Breakfast will be provided by Gus' Diner.

Applications are now being accepted at Northeast Shores for the final round (Round 3) of the Artists in Residence Grant program.  The program gives musicians, writers, photographers and other artists who live or work in North Shore Collinwood the opportunity to carry out community art projects in the neighborhood. For this round, artists are being asked to submit applications for art projects that address vacancy and underutilized space. We’ll be distributing a total of $50,000 this round, with awards of up to $7,500 per project. If you’re an artist living in North Shore Collinwood or working at least 15 hours a week in the neighborhood, and you’d like to make a difference in the community, this program’s for you! Here’s how to apply:

• Submit an application for the program to the Northeast Shores office (317 East 156th Street) by the deadline – Friday, February 15, at 4:00 p.m. You can access the application online at www.cultureforward.org/Our-Programs/Residence/Grants, or pick up a paper copy from the Northeast Shores office.
• Before submitting your application, please view the program guidelines (www.cultureforward.org/Our-Programs/Residence/Grants). They’ll give you additional information about the program, plus tips for making a competitive proposal.
• If you have any questions while you’re working on your application, we’re always happy to chat! You can e-mail Seth Beattie sbeattie@northeastshores.org or Tonya Broach tbroach@northeastshores.org., or feel free to call 216.481.7660.

Santa will be at VASJ High School this year on December 15th, from 10:00 am until noon for Breakfast with Santa. The cost of the event is $5.00 which includes breakfast and a picture with Santa.

French toast and sausage will be provided by Gus’s Diner. After the children visit with Santa and eat their breakfast, they can visit the craft tables where they will be able to decorate their picture with Santa.  The children will also have the opportunity to enter a coloring contest sponsored by Family Sports. The winners of the contest will win a bag full of goodies donated by Family Sports.

So make your list, check it twice and come tell Santa your Christmas wishes!

The holiday season has officially started. People are out shopping. Festive music is filling the air and a variety of displays are going up in the storefronts. Waterloo Road is no different. On Saturday, December 1st, several storefronts on Waterloo were christened with artistic flavor. It was opening night for the Winter Storefront Competition (dubbed "The Sip and Stroll"). The competition is the brainchild of Ivana Medukic, owner of Project Pop-up Galleries in North Collinwood. Project Pop-up Galleries provide artists with unconventional spaces to exhibit their work and the opportunity to contribute to the development of an emerging artist community. During the months of October and November, several merchants and owners of vacant storefront properties were approached and asked to participate and allow local artists to mount temporary installations in their storefronts. Participating artists for this competition are Rachel Strongoli, MCXIII, Lauren Gucik, Joe Bruzas, Jonah Jacobs, Garrett Weider, Allison Lukacsy and Steven Love, David Desimone & Ron Copeland, and Richard A. Mayer. 

On October 20, 2012 the LaSalle Theater came alive once again. Due to the rainy, windy day, the Halloween party for children in North Collinwood was moved from the parking lot of the LaSalle into the theater.

For the second year, Northeast Shores, the East 185th St Merchants, and the students from VASJ High School were hosts to trick or treaters for the annual Halloween is Alive on East 185 party. Twenty students from VASJ staffed tables of fun from cupcake decorating to bean bag tossing.

The students made sure the children attending had lots of fun activities in which to participate. A big thank you to Debbie Candow and her mother, Bridget Hippen, for supplying the coloring pages and prizes for the winners. Key Bank, Butta Fingers Nails, Phade Away Barbershop, Helping Hands Day Care, Paran Management, Martin’s Mens Wear, Caroline Peak and Gus’s Diner all donated towards making this day fun for all who attended.

Northeast Shores has a special calendar coming out for the upcoming year, 2013. We would like to have pictures of our Collinwood neighborhood to decorate each month’s page. We are looking for pictures that support a positive, public perception of North Collinwood. There are some amazing hot spots, people, parks, buildings, and beautiful sunsets in our neighborhood so please showcase our assets for inclusion in this calendar. Snap those pictures and send them to us. Pictures can be emailed to Dlorek@northeastshores.org. Look for your picture in the upcoming 2013 Northeast Shores Calendar. If you have any questions, please contact Denise Lorek at 216-481-7660.

When you think of “buy local” today you might immediately think of food. Farmers markets are popping up in every Cleveland neighborhood.  “Buy local” and “ buy green” seem to be the catch phrases to package sustainability. So while you are trying to save the planet and stimulate the local economy you may want to check out Star Pop in North Collinwood on Waterloo.   

STAR POP Vintage + Modern is a small and unique gift and clothing shop in the Waterloo Arts District. Located at 15813 Waterloo, Star Pop houses a wide variety of pop culture collectibles including vintage and modern toys, video games, clothing, movies, music, books, art and of course the one item that immediately takes you back to your childhood.  Ooooohing is a familiar sound within the walls of the store.

Star Pop is independently owned and operated by a Collinwood neighbor. Troy Schwartz personally selects the items. Troy, an avid collector, started his business back in 2009 because he knew he wasn’t alone in his his appreciation of all things cool. Just ask any parent who takes their child to visit the store. A visit quickly turns into a story-telling session or a pursuit of anything you can’t find in a retail chain. This Holiday season take a few minutes to discover the shops on Waterloo. The Waterloo Arts District also includes Blue Arrow Records & Boutique, Native Cleveland, Music Saves, This Way Out Vintage Shoppe, The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, Arts Collinwood, Cloud9 Boutique, The Head Shop, Rebel City Tattoo Studio, Azure, the SS&W Boardwalk, and the Cleveland Yo-Yo Club. 

For more information about this article please contact Alenka Banco abanco@northeastshores.org or 216-481-7660.

Alenka Banco is the Business Concierge at Northeast Shores.

The mission of Branches Art Space is to become a creative place connecting the areas between Collinwood and Shore Cultural Centre.  Branches is an arts cooperative providing the opportunity for emerging artists to grow alongside professional artists, giving them a space to work and display their art. Artists will share their skills with the community by holding art classes for all ages.

I met with Susan Brandt on a Monday morning in September at her Lakeshore Blvd. salon, Beachland Hair Design to talk about her latest business venture, Branches Art Space. We discuss her new co-op gallery space as she rolls and sets a client’s hair. Multi-tasking seems to be second nature for Susan. She finishes up the style and then we walk over to the gallery which is located only a few steps away in the same commercial strip.

She explains her co-op concept which is a shared studio for artists to create work as well as to display it in the gallery. As I look around the gallery, my eyes light up. The studio work space is large and full of light and has plenty of storage. It is an artist's dream. The group studio is available to all co-op members as a work area or can be used as a workshop classroom area to conduct art classes. It is a perfect arrangement for an artist that does not want the overhead of a studio expense or is simply looking for local gallery representation.

Northeast Shores Development Corporation's Retail Market Analysis

As part of its ongoing efforts to assist in the growth and development of the Northeast Shore Collinwood neighborhood in Cleveland, Northeast Shores Development Corporation commissioned DiSalvo Development Advisors, LLC to conduct a Retail Market Analysis of the East 185th street retail district. The East 185th Street business district runs along East 185th Street from Lakeshore Boulevard to the Interstate 90 exit ramp. The study identifies a number of potential areas for growth and market-driven (re)development. There is a sizable, and currently under-served, audience of daytime employees in the district (including employees of Euclid Hospital, Hospice of the Western Reserve, Villa Angela St Joseph High School) and local Cleveland and Euclid residents. Northeast Shores Development Corporation is seeking entrepreneurs interested in taking advantage of these opportunities in the well situated East 185th retail district.

One of Santa’s elves has confirmed that Santa will once again be visiting the children of North Shore Collinwood! Santa will be at VASJ High School this year on December 15th, at 10:00 am for Breakfast with Santa. The cost of the event is $5 which includes breakfast and a picture with Santa.

French toast and sausage will be provided by Gus’s Diner. After the children visit with Santa and eat their breakfast, they can visit the craft tables where they will be able to decorate their picture with Santa. The children will also have the opportunity to enter a coloring contest sponsored by Family Sports. The winners of the contest will win a bag full of goodies donated by Family Sports.

Fall is approaching and temperatures are dropping. It's time to prepare your home for Cleveland’s winter. The 2012 Housewarming program, available to income qualified Cleveland and Euclid residents is up and running. Eligible applicants can receive a health and safety inspection to determine possible insulation of attic, sidewalls, heating ducts, water tank, sealing of air leakages, and also furnace repair and replacement.   

The program is in partnership with Cleveland Housing Network and is funded by Dominion East Ohio Gas Company. The Housewarming program helps reduce residents' monthly utility bills and also helps their homes conserve more energy and leave less of a footprint on the environment. It is best to enroll in the program before the winter months begin. The program is free to those that are eligible so pick up the phone and help yourself save money, and improve your home's energy-efficiency. The program is also now available in Euclid. In order to apply contact me, the Housing Program Manager, Charles Kamen, at Northeast Shores Development Corporation 216-481-7660 ext 31. We look forward to servicing residents through the 2012 Housewarming Program.

On December 7, the East 185th Street community will be hosting its third annual “Candy Cane Cruise on East 185.” Registration will be at 6:00 PM. This is a family-friendly event featuring a car cruise of open-top convertible cars and jeeps with bundled-up passengers immersed in the spirit of the season. The event is $5 and all are welcome to attend! For $5 you get a really cool East 185th St. ornament and the opportunity to jazz your car up for the Holiday and cruise East 185th St. The Salvation Army Bell Ringers and Brass Band will be playing on the street corners for your entertainment.

The Candy Cane Cruise will begin in the parking lot of the LaSalle Theater at the corner of Chickasaw and East 185th St., and will continue down East 185th until it reaches Lakeshore Boulevard. The car cruise is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM. Once the cruise has ended, participants and attendees are encouraged to explore East 185th to enjoy sounds of the season, food from the area's wide selection of eateries, and to stroll among the area shops and boutiques.

Convertible owners and owners of fun cars are invited to register to participate in the Candy Cane Cruise on East 185th by emailing Denise Lorek at dlorek@northeastshores.org. Cars of all makes and models are welcome including vintage, classic or new Jeeps, coupes or sedans. Holiday decorations are encouraged; and all cars must be road-worthy. All passengers should be wearing seat-belts and nothing should be thrown from the vehicles as this is a street cruise; NOT a parade.

What’s up today? As you may know, Collinwood has awesome arts and businesses. What you may not know is that several businesses within the community also have Facebook pages that they’d LOVE for you to visit. We’d like to get the word out. So, here’s the deal, beginning this month, 6 businesses will be featured on a monthly basis. Please feel free to visit their Facebook pages, read about their wonderful services and hit the like button. On that note, let’s start the ball rolling. The Facebook features for the month of October are…….

1. 1.       Arts Collinwood

We are a collective of artists, activists, educators and citizens dedicated to supporting a stimulating arts environment for residents of the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. We partner with local merchants, neighborhood associations, schools and artists to offer to residents more opportunities to engage in the arts, as well as to encourage more artists to live and work in North Collinwood. We also encourage continuing education in the arts by offering a wide variety of cultural activities for residents of all ages.

www.facebook.com/pages/Arts-Collinwood/323980992768

1. 2.       East 185th Street

East 185th Street is filled with a mix of national retailers and businesses that are independently owned and operated. Several restaurants and taverns along the street also make East 185th Street a great destination for a night out with friends and family. With easy access from I-90, East 185th Street is easy to find and is less than 15 minutes from downtown Cleveland.

www.facebook.com/pages/East-185th-St/122519544477548

It’s evident that the arts are a part of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Without the arts, daily functions would be pretty boring, right? Various facets of art speak to each of us as individuals and can be as personal as the food we eat or the clothes we wear. Accessibility to the arts is key, and to have a place to live, work and play that has an arts base for adults, children, artists and non-artists alike would be ideal. North Collinwood is steadily on its way to becoming one of those places and local artists are taking steps to help shape its cultural ambiance.

Utilizing the arts as a core, programs and initiatives are being developed to address the vacancy and foreclosure issue within the North Collinwood community. These initiatives will serve to help create an economic impact to solidify the neighborhood and attract investment.

“Collinwood Rising” is a collaborative effort, led by Northeast Shores and generously funded by ArtPlace, to transform the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood by engaging artists in creatively combating urban vacancy and foreclosure at the community level. ArtPlace is a collaboration of ten leading national and regional foundations, eight federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, and six of the nation’s largest banks with a goal to accelerate creative placemaking across the U.S.

At the January 15, 2013 annual meeting, elections will be held to fill vacant seats and expired terms for the Northeast Shores Development Corporation Board of Directors. At this time, Northeast Shores is seeking representation from both residents and business/institutions for the upcoming election from our pool of members. Please consider serving on this important neighborhood board.

Being a member of the Board of Directors requires a commitment including:

•             Attending the Board meetings each month held on the third Tuesday.

•             Active involvement in at least one of our committees.

•             Participation in board-approved fundraising activities and events.

•             Active participation in neighborhood activities and events.

On October 20, 2012 dress your trick or treater up in their Halloween costume and bring them to the parking lot of the LaSalle theater.

For the second year, Northeast Shores, the East 185th St Merchants, and the students from VASJ High School will be hosting their annual Halloween is Alive on East 185.

This event is free to attend from 11:00am to 1:00pm. The students from VASJ will be having a bake sale. Family Sport will be sponsoring a coloring contest with a prize for the best picture. Many of the merchants will be donating candy to make sure you go home with lots of treats!

Come on out!

Denise Lorek is the Community Organizer for Northeast Shores serving the North Collinwood area.

What’s up today? Here is the latest installment of featured Facebook pages from the area’s arts and business community.  Please feel free to visit, read about their wonderful services, and click on the like button.

1. 1.       Adopt a Beach Join the Euclid Beach Adopt-a-Beach Team this fall along with 7,000+ other volunteers across the Great Lakes as we tackle some of the toughest months of the year for beach and water quality! www.facebook.com/AdoptEuclidBeach

1. 2.       Lithuanian Club The Lithuanian Club of Cleveland is the center for spirit, hopes and activities. We invite all, old and young, Lithuanian-speaking or not, and from any background to come and share our heritage with us. www.facebook.com/pages/Lithuanian-American-Citizens-Club/121070164576229?fref=ts

1. 3.       Martin’s Men’s Wear Martin’s Men’s Wear has provided quality fashion men’s wear since 1945. They offer a wonderful selection of sportswear, shoes, hats and also carry big/tall sizes. Martin’s Men’s Wear is owned by Frank Barresi who is also an active board member at Northeast Shores. www.facebook.com/pages/Martins-Mens-Wear/134293279947355?fref=ts

1. 4.       Music Saves We are TEAM MUSIC SAVES...owners Melanie and Kevin, and a black cat named Vinyl. An independent record store specializing in indie rock and its extended family. Music Saves is located in Cleveland Ohio, next to the Beachland Ballroom. Yes, we sell tickets to all Beachland and Grog Shop shows. www.facebook.com/MUSICSAVEScleveland?fref=ts

1. 5.       Star Pop Star Pop buys and sells vintage & modern toys, clothing, classic video games, music, movies, books, art, & other pop culture collectibles for kids and collectors in Cleveland, OH. Star Pop is located about ten minutes east of downtown, just off of I-90 and on the same block as the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern. www.facebook.com/starpopcleveland?fref=ts

1. 6.       Villa Angela/Saint Joseph School (VASJ) Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School (VASJ) is a Catholic, comprehensive, co-educational high school committed to academic excellence and the development of student gifts. www.facebook.com/VASJVikings

Be sure to stay tuned for next month’s exciting lineup!

What happens when you take a 30-year-old family-operated restaurant and reopen after only a month with a new owner?  Mary Kean, the proud new owner of Chloe’s Kitchen Diner (formally Fotina’s Restaurant) located at 400 E.156th Street, explains that you do a little bit of sprucing it up but keep it as authentic as possible. Kean’s immediate focus was upgrading the kitchen equipment. With a new stove, fridge and, most importantly, a dishwasher, Kean feels she can get back to business. She admits that she is anxious and excited at the same time. 

With very little time to think about it, Kean entered and won a restaurant contest sponsored by the property’s new owner/developer, Alan Glazen. Glazen, who has also recently acquired the Harbour Pub on Waterloo Rd., wanted to find an owner/operator for this neighborhood diner that would open it back up as soon as possible and respect the flavor of the original business and what it meant to the community.

Chloe’s Kitchen Diner will feature an all-day, breakfast special for $2.99. In addition, the menu will include traditional diner foods like hot dogs and hamburgers to reubens and grilled sandwiches. Kean also plans on including neighborhood traditions like sweet potato pie which is made on Waterloo Rd. and freshly brewed coffee from Erie Island Coffee which is owned by her new landlord Alan. The diner will also display and sell art by local artists.

Seven artists received grants today for community projects in Cleveland’s Waterloo Arts and Entertainment District. A component of the Artists in Residence program, a total of $45,000 in grants this cycle will address three community priorities between Nov 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. These priorities were identified by the program’s initial neighborhood survey “Picturing Collinwood”: celebrating residents, visibility and awareness of community assets and youth.

• Neil Chastain – Youth:  The Collinwood sound project. Neil will lead a series of workshops for youth designed to engage young people in composing, creating, performing and recording original music pieces. One of the main desired goals is for participants to create a Collinwood sound compilation that they will then market and distribute.
• Ray McNiece – Celebrating Residents: North Collinwood Stories – An Intergenerational Story Circle. Ray will mentor students from Villa-Angela-St. Joseph’s School Honors English Program as they interview and transcribe the stories of elderly residents in the Waterloo area. The project will culminate in an inter-generational story sharing at the Collinwood Arts Café. 
• Lou Ross – Visibility and Awareness of Community Assets: Wheels on Waterloo. Lou will oversee development of a public sculpture for placement opposite the 2013 Waterloo streetscape project. The sculpture will reflect the neighborhood’s rich history of transportation and manufacturing, with wheels representing the movement of time, where we have been, are now and where we are going in the future.
• Jerry Schmidt – Youth: Jerry will instruct teenagers about metalworking, using various welding techniques learned in the studio classroom. Basic mathematics, reading a tape measure and preliminary design sketching will also be taught. They will apprentice Jerry as he completes art pieces and utilitarian projects for Collinwood area merchants.
• R.A. Washington – Youth: North Collinwood Youth Choir and Performance Ensemble. R.A. will engage North Collinwood teenagers in a series of workshops to form a performance group. He will teach the ensemble the basics of performance poetry, musical theatre and songwriting and will work with them to create new arrangements for a songbook of historic songs.

If you were at the August 14th, East 185th St. Block Watch Seven Year Anniversary Celebration, you would know who that guy was. Leonard “Lenny” Kedys was honored by the East 185th St. Block Watch with a certificate of appreciation for all of the hard work he has been putting in to the LaSalle Marquee. Lenny lives in the East 185th St Business District and has contributed many hours of work repainting the marquee.

“I am happy to help the LaSalle rise up to its former glory. I have been working with John Boksansky, Commercial Projects Coordinator for Northeast Shores, on color renderings as well as working with a special Sherwin Williams paint to improve the building. I’m about 65% done and I look forward to adding the details to complete the job. The marquee has twelve coats of paint on it which needed to be properly prepped. We followed through with the proper analysis to arrive at the closest possible original color palette for the new paint job,“ Lenny said.

“The Marquee work came as a blessing from Lenny and I am thankful for his efforts at the renewal of the theater working with Northeast Shores,” stated Councilman Polensek as he presented Lenny with a special proclamation from Cleveland City Council.

For the third year in a row, Shoes and Clothes for Kids provided approximately 100 bookbags filled with school supplies to the children at Lakeshore Beach Apartment.

There were many excited children that day as they lined up to choose their favorite color bookbag. The bookbags were full of supplies to help the children start the school year off right. Northeast Shores donated supplies to supplement what Shoes and Clothes for Kids provided. The supplies from Northeast Shores were also geared towards the moms who were returning to school, starting school or going to get their GED’s. One mother who brought her children for supplies had just received her GED. When she announced it to us that day, there were many hugs and congratulations given to her. What an exciting day!

The children and their parents would like to thank Valerie McCormack, Executive Director of Shoes and Clothes for Kids profusely for the donation of bookbags loaded with supplies. Many parents were overheard saying what a big help it was to receive the bookbags and supplies.

Many people in North Shores Collinwood will soon have new neighbors! So far this summer, Northeast Shores has sold many properties, and several other homes have sales pending that have not yet transferred to new homeowners. Properties on Kildeer, Chickasaw, Pythias, Neff Road and two on East 163rd Street have recently sold.

All of these homes are properties that were recently vacant, blighted structures. Most were foreclosed properties that were owned by the land bank (Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation), before they were acquired by Northeast Shores. Some of the properties sold have been completely gutted and rehabbed by Northeast Shores to be modern and energy-efficient. Others that are in better condition are part of the $5,000 home program that allows the buyer to fix up the homes themselves or using their own contractors, following specifications from Northeast Shores. “It’s great that these formerly unmaintained properties are becoming assets to their streets,” says Brian Friedman, Executive Director at Northeast Shores, “I’m very excited about all of the people who are moving in to the neighborhood.”

This summer, community art projects – everything from music classes to a printing press to a documentary about neighborhood residents – have been springing up in North Shore Collinwood thanks to the Artists in Residence Grant program. Now, the application and guidelines for the winter round of Artists in Residence grants are available. This grant program is part of a two-year neighborhood arts initiative of Northeast Shores and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture designed to support artists in the community and get them more involved in making the neighborhood an even better place to live. The grant program will award neighborhood artists with grants of up to $7,500 to support their community focused art projects. In total, Artists in Residence will invest a total of $125,000 to support these projects; $30,000 was awarded in May for projects taking place this summer, $45,000 will be awarded in this round for projects that will take place between November of this year and March of next year and the final round will award $50,000 for projects taking place next summer. Grant winners will be selected by a panel of neighborhood residents and local community experts through a competitive process. 

For our fourth annual Alive on East 185 event, the Collinwood High School Color Guard, ROTC Cadets, Drum Line and High Steppers started our parade on Saturday, May 19th. U.S. Representative Marcia Fudge was our parade marshal, followed by Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek, Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik, Euclid Council President Kirsten-Holzheimer Gail and Euclid Councilman, Scott Lynch. They were followed by over 40 different groups and organizations including VASJ’s tribute to their Seniors, the big trucks by Tim’s Wild Creations and the bagpipe unit donated by Paran Management. We also had Skipper from the Lake County Captains and Ronald McDonald in our parade this year. For the first time in our parade history, we had the Wolf Mobile! Discount Drug Mart participated by having a vehicle in the parade passing out water and candy. The Salvation Army had their disaster unit and volunteers walking with Lt. Chris Mauk. We also had baseball teams, daycare children walking and riding bicycles, Charter school students, and several merchants on East 185th St. participate in the parade. Thank you, to all of you who made this our best parade so far.

Six artists who live or work in North Shore Collinwood were awarded a total of $30,000 to support their community art projects through the Artists in Residence grant program. This program, part of a special two-year neighborhood arts initiative of Northeast Shores and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, aims to support artists in the community and involve residents in making the neighborhood a better place to live. It will award another $95,000 in two more rounds of applications between now and fall of 2013. “These community art projects have leveraged and sparked local artist and non-artist interest in purchasing homes within the boundaries of The Waterloo Arts and Entertainment District. People want to be in a thriving, cutting-edge community,” commented Camille Maxwell, Real Estate Development Director at Northeast Shores.

Northeast Shores is pleased to announce the 2012 winners of the Cleveland Arsenal award designed to honor the achievements of individuals who share their love of Cleveland on a grassroots level:singing the praises of our city’s unique neighborhoods, including North Shore Collinwood. These individuals are actively changing people’s minds about Cleveland’s future.

The program is part of the Artists in Residence initiative, a 2-year effort to make North Shore Collinwood an even better neighborhood for artists to live and work, organized by Northeast Shores and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture.

The 2012 winners are:

Sam Allard is a journalist and fiction writer from the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. He is the editor of Whiskey Island literary magazine and a book critic for the Plain Dealer. He loves Cleveland for its culture and courtesy, its spunk and pluck, the small-town aromas and big-city sports. He is a fan of the city’s microbrews, gardens and artists. 

Daniel Brown is a Cleveland native and recent graduate of DePaul University in Chicago. He is currently participating in a year of service at Saint Martin de Porres High School in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Daniel loves Cleveland for its vast potential, its neighborhoods and its never-say-die mentality.

Valerie Mayen is a fashion designer, David Bowie advocate and a shop owner. She has lived in Cleveland for nearly 11 years. While running her locally-made clothing store Yellowcake in the Gordon Square Arts District, Valerie also heads a budding internship program and a developing sewing workspace for other designers.

On May 19, the E. 185th Street community will be hosting “Alive on East 185,” a family-friendly event featuring a parade beginning at 11:00 AM and a sidewalk sale/party immediately following, until 5 PM. There is no admission charge, and all are welcome to attend!

The parade will begin at Villaview and East 185th (near Muldoon’s Saloon & Eatery) and will continue down E. 185th until it reaches Lakeshore Boulevard. The parade is scheduled to begin at 11AM. This year US Representative Marcia Fudge will be our parade Marshal!

Once the parade has ended, local merchants will set up a street-wide sidewalk sale/party, allowing everyone to enjoy what E. 185th St. has to offer. Alongside the merchants will be local groups and organizations providing information about their many activities and programs. There will also be an Inflatables area set up for the children to enjoy free of charge.

Please mark your calendar for May 19th, at 11AM to join us for this streetwide Celebration of the Community!

If your group or organization would like to participate in the parade or sidewalk party, there is still time to sign up. Please contact Denise Lorek at Northeast Shores Development:216-481-7660, dlorek@northeastshores.org.

Need help replacing your old, battered roof? Do you live in the 44119 zip code? Are you are up-to-date with your current mortgage, tax payments and your home is owner-occupied? Then you may qualify for the 0% Loan offered by Neighborhood Housing Services in partnership with Northeast Shores. This program has no income qualifications. The loan amount is a maximum of $10,000 for roof and gutter repairs. There are NO PAYMENTS DUE upon the loan until sale or transfer of the property. To enroll into the program, income documentation and application is required though it will not disqualify you in any means from the loan.

Again, while this is a loan program, you will not have any payments until you SELL OR TRANSFER your home. This program is designed to help us all through these tough economic times, not to create more debt while we wade our way through these very real issues.

You may have previously self-determined that you don’t qualify for other Northeast Shores housing programs, but it is critical to note that this initiative does not operate under the same economic guidelines.

I'm here in our office and excited to help you get the ball rolling on getting your new roof! Once you discuss your needs with me, I will guide you through applying and the documentation that is needed. I can be reached at (216) 481-7660 or via email at ckamen@northeastshores.org.

Thank you to those of you who donated towards the renovation of the Historical Marker located on Lakeshore Blvd. near East 185th St.

In March, it was brought to the attention of Northeast Shores and the Collinwood Nottingham Historical Society that the sign is illegible to passing traffic. The marker notes that Moses Cleaveland founded the City of Cleveland and this area in 1796. “This marker is our history, and the sign is a way to showcase it,” said Mary Louise Daley, Historical Society, President.

The sign was originally installed in 1953 as a way to celebrate the State's 150th birthday. The sign is now about 60 years old which is why it is so worn out and needs to be replaced. If you would like to make a donation towards the renovation of the marker, you can send your donation to Northeast Shores Development Corporation, 317 East 156th St., Cleveland, OH 44110. Please write “historical marker” in the memo line. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Mary Louise Daley, at 216-664-4236

Frequently asked questions:

Why is there so much personal documentation required for the roofing program if there are no income qualifications? The program you are applying for is a formal loan program and it is administered with Federal Funding through partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services. Like any other Federal program, income documentation is required.  Our unique program does not have income qualifications. Therefore, as long as you fully provide all the required information, you will be qualified regardless of bankruptcy, credit score, etc. 

Who is eligible to participate? Owner-occupied homes in the 44119 zip code, in the City of Cleveland.

Who would not be able to participate? Those applicants that are not in owner-occupied homes and those that are not current with their mortgage and their property taxes will be declined from participating.

Can the program be used for non-owner occupied property? No. The goal of the program is to serve those homes that are owner occupied.

Can I pay the loan back whenever I want? Yes. The loan is technically not due until sale or transfer of the property but you are able to make payments whenever you want.

What contractors can I use? You may choose your contractor yourself or from our list. The contractor must be licensed, bonded, insured and certified to work in the city of Cleveland.

Northeast Shores is announcing another support program for artists living and working in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, as well as artists who would like to relocate here.

Through a unique partnership with NoteWorthy Federal Credit Union and the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture (CPAC), we are pleased to announce the Artists in Residence loan program. This new loan product supports artists looking to create art space in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood. It covers space conversions that might be difficult to finance through a commercial lender, such as a musician wanting to soundproof a rehearsal space or a painter who wants to convert his garage into a studio.

Each of the program partners are working to make this kind of space conversion easier for artists to complete. Northeast Shores provides participants with access to free space-ownership coursework and works with them to develop a personalized financial plan. CPAC is providing 25% collateral on every Artists in Residence loan, making it easier to complete a project without taking on a second mortgage or additional credit card debt. NoteWorthy Federal Credit Union is a locally-based national credit union that has been serving the financial needs of the arts community for decades. Their understanding of the artist community’s needs makes the lending process a friendlier for participants.

Artists in Residence loans are available to artists of all backgrounds and all disciplines (craft, dance, design, literature, media, music, theatre and visual art). The program is focused on investments in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, so applicants should have access to space in the neighborhood or be in the process of obtaining space there. The loans have flexible repayment schedules and interest rates starting as low as 5.6% APR.

These loans are just the latest offering of our Artists in Residence program, a two-year initiative to make the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood an even better place for artists to live and work. Northeast Shores is also rehabbing houses for artists so they can have the dream home they always wanted, helping them launch their own storefront businesses and distributing $100,000 in small grants to support neighborhood arts projects.

If you are interested in applying for an Artists in Residence loan, or would like more information about our broader efforts to support artists, contact Northeast Shores at 216.481.7660, ext. 27, or sbeattie@northeastshores.org.

Seth Beattie is the Artist's in Residence Coordinator at Northeast Shores.

Then save the date of May 19th. Northeast Shores along with the "Alive on 185" Committee will be hosting their 4th annual "Alive on 185" parade.

Don’t leave after the parade is over! There'll be more fun as our merchants participate in a streetwide sidewalk party. There will be food, fun and inflatables until 5pm. Call Denise Lorek at 481-7660 to find out how you can participate.

Denise Lorek is the Community Organizer for Northeast Shores serving the North Collinwood area.

On February 23rd Northeast Shores hosted their 4th Annual Taste the Neighborhood Award Dinner and Fundraiser.

If you were not able to attend this year, you missed a feast. We had food donated from local eateries Café at Arts Collinwood, Beachland Ballroom, Bistro 185, Blitz Barbecue, B&M Barbecue, Cakes by Sweetwater, Chili Peppers, Congins pizza , Daves Supermarket, East 200th St. Convenient, Georgios Pizza, Grovewood Tavern, Gus’s Diner, Lithuanian Hall, and Muldoons. Every restaurant outdid themselves. The food was wonderful and the representatives that the restaurants sent had just as much fun as the guests. 

The restaurants were very generous with their donations. The many businesses, residents and board members who donated baskets for our Chinese raffle went all out. We had a wide assortment of baskets, some full of local merchandise and gift certificates. The event would not have been the same without our “One Fun DJ,” John Copic. He helped MC the event and kept the music going. The student volunteers from VASJ High School were a tremendous help and excellent ambassadors for the event. I would be remiss if I did not send out a huge thank you to Ruta Degutis and the Lithuanian Hall for once again hosting this event.

On Tuesday, February 23rd at our Fourth Annual Taste the Neighborhood event, Northeast Shores recognized some pretty wonderful people and organizations.

Resident of the year this year - Brian Licht.  Brian works with both of our Feral Cat projects, Waterloo Alley Cats and the Euclid Beach Feral Cat Project. Brian can be seen trapping feral kitties to be neutered or spayed and then releasing them back in to a colony of cats to be cared for.  Brian is also very active in the East 156th St. Block Watch. He has been known to work the coat check room at the Beachland Ballroom and then donate his tips to the cat projects. Brian is one of our unsung heroes. He just does what needs to be done and never looks for recognition for his good deeds.

Block Club of the Year – East 156th Street Block Watch. This group of Block Watchers is growing every month. This group has gone from a handful of people attending meetings to a regular attendance of 30 people. Pat and Al Harrison, the chair people of this group, accepted the award on behalf of their group. If you live around East 156th St. and would like to get together with your fellow neighbors to share concerns or ideas, please consider attending their meetings. They are always on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, at 6 pm, always at the B&M Barbecue Event Center, 15116 Lakeshore Blvd.  Anthony Becham of B&M donates this space every month for this group to have a meeting place. There is always a 5th District Police representative there and Councilman Polensek is usually there as well.

Attention Collinwood Residents, The Cleveland Energy Saves Program now gives those households that do not qualify for the Housewarming or Weatherization programs the chance to improve their homes energy efficiency. Residents should take advantage of this one-year energy efficiency program. Now you can make those updates to your home to keep you warmer. The new program offers costs incentives that were never available before. 

This program is made possible through the City of Cleveland, the Cleveland Housing Network(CHN), and Cleveland Action to Support Housing (CASH). How, any resident may take part in the benefits of increasing your homes efficiency and cutting down your utility bills. The new Cleveland Energy Saves Program now gives residents:

• Low Cost energy audits ($50 a savings of over $300) to assess what needs to be done to improve their home’s efficiency and help save money on their utility bills.
• A detailed report with recommendations on upgrades the owner can make to achieve the highest level of energy savings. If the homeowner goes forward with retrofits/upgrade, the audit fee of $50 is refundable.
• The improvements report, could include attic and side wall insulation, furnace replacement, programmable thermostat and new windows/doors.
• Each homeowner interested in improvements can assess what improvements will be right for them depending on cost, incentives/rebates, and payback period. Available rebates reduce the cost of the retrofits by nearly 40%.
• CHN can provide technical assistance with what will benefit the homeowners to receive the highest savings.
• CASH will offer the opportunity to help finance the energy efficiency improvements through 2-2.3% interest loans for qualified homeowners.

If you are interested in applying or for more information on the program, you can contact Charlie Kamen, Housing Program Manager at Northeast Shores at 216-481-7660 ext. 31. He can further explain and refer you to the Energy Savers program representatives at CHN to get you enrolled in the program. Take advantage of this great program that any homeowner is eligible for.   

Charlie Kamen is the Housing Programs Manager Northeast Shores Development Corp.

Need help replacing your old, battered roof? Do you live in the 44119 zip code? Then you may qualify for the 0% Loan offered by Neighborhood Housing Services in partnership with Northeast Shores Development Corporation. This program, unlike other programs, has no income qualifications. The loan amount is a maximum of $10,000 for roof and gutter repairs. There are no payments due upon the loan until sale or transfer of the property. To enroll into the program income documentation and application is required though it will not disqualify you in any means from the loan. The only restrictions are that you must be up-to-date with your current mortgage, tax payments and that the home must be owner occupied. 

This limited time program offers you the opportunity to take care of a major issue without incurring the kind of upfront, debilitating expense that a new roof generally comes with. This program not only allows you to take action now, but it allows you to rest comfortably without worrying about interest or payments.

You literally owe nothing back until you either sell or transfer your home. Again, while this is a loan program, you will not have any payments until you SELL OR TRANSFER your home. This program is designed to help us all through these tough economic times, not to create more debt while we wade our way through these very real issues.

Taste the Neighborhood, the annual fundraising award dinner for Northeast Shores is February 21st, 2012 at 6:00 at the Lithuanian Hall 877 East 185th St. This date falls on Fat Tuesday, the day where you are supposed to eat a lot of food. If you have not been to Taste the Neighborhood, you should get your tickets early. There is a limited amount of tickets to be sold. Get yours now so you don’t miss out on this wonderful event.

This is the fourth year that the wonderful restaurants and eateries will be donating their food to this event. We could not do this event if it were not for the support of all of the people who participate. Last year we had over 20 different places donate their food for tasting.

It would not be an award dinner without awards. Last year we had the first woman enshrined in the Northeast Shores Hall of Fame. Jan Dean won the Hall of Fame award for all of the things she does to improve the quality of life in North Shore Collinwood. Windward Block Club won for the best Block Club, Hospice of the Western Reserve won an award for their investment in the East 185th and Lakeshore area, Pete and Debbie Gulyas won an award for their investment in the Waterloo area. Who is going to win this year? Please come and find out.

It’s hard to believe that the internet was not commonplace when Northeast Shores was founded in 1994. There weren’t cell phones or Wi-Fi, and social media didn’t exist. We’ve come a long way in that last 18 years, and thanks to Waterloo-based design company, No Problem Printing, Northeast Shores has begun updating their online outlets to better suit your community needs. You can check out our progress by logging on to Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/northeastshores) and “liking” Northeast Shores, or by following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/northeastshores). Be sure to also check out our official website at www.northeastshores.org and read up on what’s been happening in the neighborhood.

If Facebook and Twitter don’t mean anything to you, don’t worry: we’re still available, as always, by phone at (216) 481 7660, or come by and visit us in person at 317 East 156th Street.

Jack Storey is an an AmeriCorps VISTA at Northeast Shores.

Each January, Northeast Shores elects community representatives to direct the organization in its mission to make North Shore Collinwood a better place to live, work, and visit. This year, Northeast Shores had several vacancies that needed to be filled.

New members elected to the board are Michael Palcisco, Erin Randel, Joe Bruzas from ImageMart, Heath Gromack from PNC Bank, Bettye Hines from KeyBank, and Kevin Neudecker from Music Saves. These new board members will join reelected board members – Mike Cermak, Laura Lee Martin, Cindy Barber from Beachland Ballroom, Frank Barresi from Martin’s Men’s Wear, Bill Eppich from Advance Glass Sales Service as the director Class of 2012. Together with the already standing ten board members, these directors are here to serve the community and lead the organization as we transform the neighborhood.

 If you see one of them while you are out and about, please thank them for giving their time and talents to the neighborhood as both a volunteer and a leader.

Brian Friedman is the Executive Director of Northeast Shores Development Corporation.

Taste the Neighborhood, the annual fundraising award dinner for Northeast Shores is February 21st, 2012 at 6PM at the Lithuanian Hall, 877 East 185th St. This is the fourth year that the wonderful restaurants and eateries will be donating their food to this event. Last year we had over 20 different places donate their food for tasting. Get your tickets early so you don’t miss out on this wonderful event. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 night of the event and can be purchased at Northeast Shores, 317 East 156th St. or call Denise 216-481-7660. Full story online at www.collinwoodobserver.com.