Irishtown Bend in Cleveland – Construction Progress

Irishtown Bend is the name of a former Irish American neighborhood and area in the Flats of the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.  Cuyahoga means “crooked” and Irishtown Bend is a tight meander on one of those river curves. 

In 1990, a portion of the site, known as the Irishtown Bend Archeological District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Beginning in 2006, efforts began to stabilize the soil of Irishtown Bend, preserve the archeological history of the site, and convert the area into a park, with construction beginning in 2023.

Here is a look at the progress as of May 20, 2025 from the deck of the Goodtime III sailing past.  That’s Mark Nolan with some narration about the site from the Goodtime III.

Colonel Rocky A. Favorito, USAF (Ret.) Memorial Day Address

Seven Hills is a suburb of Cleveland Ohio in Cuyahoga County. Col. Rocky A. Favorito, USAF (Ret.) was the Grand Marshal of their annual parade on May 26, 2025.

Colonel Rocky A. Favorito, USAF (Ret.)

The program began with Master of Ceremonies Tony Terry introducing Col. Favorito who then gave his remarks including sharing a personal story of his fellow soldiers who lost their lives in battle. Over the course of his career, Colonel Favorito served as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Executive Officer during the opening phases of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he supported over 6,500 personnel and nearly 150 fighter aircrafts. He also served as the Commander of the 374th Communications Squadron in Japan and later led cybersecurity operations supporting national defense leaders including the Secretary of Defense and Air Force Chief of Staff.

Watch the keynote address.

See the Parade and more from Memorial Day in Seven Hills

Cleveland Public Library Main Campus 100th Anniversary

he Cleveland Public Library celebrated 100 years of the Main Library Campus at 325 Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland on Saturday May 10, 2025.

There was an unveiling of Cleveland Public Library’s Ohio Historical Marker which celebrates the institution’s architectural significance and cultural contributions to the community since its founding in 1869. The marker recognizes the library’s history as a trailblazing influence in librarianship, its status as one of the largest and most significant research libraries in the United States, and its continued role as “The People’s University” for generations of Clevelanders.

The 100th anniversary celebration began with some speeches on the steps of the library inclduing Michael Dalby, Senior Director of Public Services, who gave a history of the main campus building from the 1920’s on. Watch the video.

Then there was a countdown to the unveiling by a great grandson of William Howard Brett, William Howard Brett V and his children Vivian and Lewis. William Howard Brett was the visionary head librarian for the Cleveland Public Library from 1884 to 1918.

Willaim Howard Brett bust

Watch the remarks and the unveiling of Cleveland Public Library’s Ohio Historical Marker at the end of this video.

See more from the 100th anniversary celebration of the Cleveland Public Library.

Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center Groundbreaking – 55th St. Marina

Cleveland Metroparks has been operating the East 55th Street Marina since 2013 and is planning a major upgrade to the site in 2026: Construction of the Patrick S. Parker Community Sailing Center. 

At a ceremony on May 9, 2025, Brian Zimmerman, Cleveland Metroparks Chief Executive Officer, introduced Cleveland Metroparks Commissioner Yvette M. Ittu, President, who gave an overview of the project.  At the end of the video is the ceremonial groundbreaking. 

Free smoke detectors installed in Cuyahoga, Lake Geauga and Ashtabula counties

The 2025 Cleveland Asian Festival attracted over 40,000 visitors over May 17 and 18, 2025. There were performances, lots of food, cultural information and more including information and community resources. One of the resource displays was from Cleveland Fire working with the Red Cross.

A survey conducted for the Red Cross, shows that people mistakenly believe they have more time than they really do to escape a burning home. Fire experts agree that people may have as little as two minutes to escape a burning home before it’s too late to get out. But most Americans (62 percent) mistakenly believe they have at least five minutes to escape, more than twice the amount they actually have. Nearly 18 percent mistakenly believe they have ten minutes or more to get out.

Across the country, the Red Cross is partnering with local fire departments and community groups to install smoke alarms in neighborhoods with high numbers of home fires. The goal is to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires by as much as 25 percent over the next five years.

Smoke alarm installations are available for homes in Cuyahoga, Lake Geauga and Ashtabula counties. More Information.

You can also call 216-361-5535 to request a smoke alarm installation. Leave a message and clearly state your first and last name, full address and phone number. Please note the Red Cross does not provide carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.

Watch a video explaining the program.

Cleveland 101 – Welcome to Cleveland

Cleveland101.com identifies and explains some of the interesting, historic and/or cool things in Cleveland that you may not know about..

It’s geared toward journalists coming to town who need background pieces, interesting stories and fillers and some targeted ideas.

It’s also for other visitors who are interested in a particular topic (sports, art, architecture, music, science, people, etc.) in Cleveland and don’t know where to begin.

And frankly, we expect a lot of the visitors to be residents of the CLE who are pleasantly surprised by what they find.  “Gee, I didn’t know that was in Cleveland!”