2013 Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest This Weekend

Screencap taken from http://clevelandoktoberfest.com/

The 2013 Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest, tagged as Northeast Ohio’s largest annual outdoor festival, will take place at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds from Friday, August 30 to Monday, September 2. For four exciting days, visitors can expect authentic German food, live entertainment from local and regional musicians, German dance groups and of course, gallons and gallons of ice-cold beer.

A diverse and unique experience, the Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest will have something to offer everyone. For art lovers, there will be a dedicated Art Market, sidewalk chalk art and a demonstration by sand sculptor Carl Jara. A 5k race, corn hole boards and other sporty activities will cater to more athletic visitors. Shopaholics can visit the Bavarian Bazaar while car enthusiasts can check out the VW Show & Campout as well as the juried Car Show. Of course, the festival also has fun activities lined up for the kids, including the Frisch Marionette Show, inflatables, toy trains, a gingerbread house building competition, sandboxes, a stunning fireworks display and more.

Admission costs $10 with a $2 discount if you purchase tickets online. Children under 12 get in free. Hours are from 5pm to midnight on Friday, noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday and from noon to 9pm on Monday. The Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds are located at 164 Eastland Road in Berea. For more information, please visit clevelandoktoberfest.com.

Luau on the Lake on July 20, Wendy Park in Cleveland OH

Photo taken from http://sc4k.org/

SC4K or Shoes and Clothes for Kids are holding its 8th annual Luau on the Lake on Saturday, July 20 at Wendy Park at Whiskey Island in Cleveland. This is a Hawaiian themed fundraising event to benefit the children that Shoes and Clothes for Kids supports. Guests can expect to enjoy a fun filled day with good food, drinks, wine and beer, outdoor activities such as sand volleyball, live music and entertainment, and a fantastic view of Lake Erie. The event will also feature exciting giveaways and a fabulous raffle.

SC4K is a non-profit organization that provides new clothes and shoes to thousands of children in Greater Cleveland at no charge throughout the year. With a network of 35 distribution partners, they aim to positively impact the lives of less fortunate area children by giving them the boosts in confidence and self-esteem that having new clothes and shoes naturally brings.

Tickets for Luau on the Lake range from $40 to $50. The event starts at 3:30pm for VIP ticket holders and 4pm for General Admission. Food will be served from 5:30 to 7:30pm. For more information on this event, please visit sc4k.org.

4th Annual Brite Winter Festival in Cleveland

The 4th annual Brite Winter Festival will take place on Saturday, February 16 from 5 to 10pm at the Market District in Ohio City.

This event draws thousands of visitors every year, who brave the cold weather to enjoy the live entertainment, musical performances, interesting art exhibitions and outdoor games. Activities include a 24-foot long skee-ball ramp, ski bike racing, snow miniature golf, an incredible electronic arcade crane and hysterical snowball fights. The area’s best known bars and restaurants typically offer great discounts to festival goers when they come inside to warm up.

Highlights of the events include up to 20 art installations which were created through a partnership between The Cleveland Institute of Art and the Department of Community Affairs of The Cleveland Museum of Art. GE lighting will provide high energy efficiency lights for the installations for the second year in a row. 48 bands from across Ohio and the Midwest are also scheduled to play on 7 different stages. A fantastic selection of rock, punk, folk, indie, soul, acoustic and electronic acts has been curated by the Cleveland-based Bad Racket Recording Studio.

The event is free of charge, but if you would like to help out, you may participate as a volunteer or donate to the Brite Winter Festival Kickstarter campaign, which will earn you a pint glass from Glass Bubble Project, amongst other perks. For more information, please visit the event’s official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/britewinter.

 

The Great Big Home and Garden Show at I-X Center, Cleveland OH

The Great Big Home and Garden Show will take place from Saturday, February 2 to Sunday, February 10 at the I-X Center in Cleveland. With more than 650 exhibitors, the show is a must-see for home improvement and gardening enthusiasts.

New highlights and attractions to look out for this year include a fully-constructed, 4,000 square foot Idea Home sponsored by Sherwin-Williams and Cleveland Magazine. Built by Perrino Builders, the Idea Home aims to inspire visitors by presenting them with creative ways to plan and build their dream houses. Other features include a fully-constructed, 2,000 square foot Dream Basement built by Custom Remodeling and Design based in Chagrin Falls, fine dining at full-service restaurant Cambria Bistro, and daily cooking sessions presented by local chefs and instructors from the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking.

Returning favorites from last year’s show include the Garden Showcase, Celebrity Designer Rooms, Playground World’s KidsZone and last year’s Main Stage emcee, Matt Fox, who will also be presenting home improvement ideas and special educational topics on February 2, 3 and 5.

Tickets to the show cost from $5 to $14 and are available at the box office, online and at Home Depot and AAA locations. The I-X Center is located at 6200 Riverside Drive in Cleveland. For more information on the Great Big Home and Garden Show, please visit www.greatbighomeandgarden.com.

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week kicks off Feb. 22nd

The sixth annual Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week will kick off on Friday, February 22, but although this will be the sixth year running for the popular event, 2013′s installment will feature several firsts.

First off, the event will stretch over two weekends for the first time ever, running through Sunday, March 3. This year’s celebration of downtown dining will also have a theme, namely “Pierogi Power,” as an ode to Cleveland’s unofficial signature food. Local chefs have been invited to create their own unique take on the tasty stuffed treat.

Also for the first time, there will be a kick-off party. Sponsored by Downtown Cleveland Alliance, the party will be in keeping with this year’s Polish theme, and is called “Go Fourth and Polka.” The highlight of the event will be DJ Kishka’s live polka entertainment set during happy hour on Friday, February 22 in the middle of East Fourth Street.

Aside from these few exciting new changes, the premise of Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week will remain the same: more than 40 participating restaurants will offer three-course prix-fixe dinner menus prices at $30. Each restaurant will serve their own choice of specials, with some of them offering mix-and-match options as well as prix-fixe lunches, most of which are priced at $15.

For those who love food and all things Cleveland, Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week is a great way to celebrate eating in the city. For more information, please visit downtowncleveland.com.