Nate’s North Coast Notes • Cleveland Restaurant Week To Go | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Wild Winter Lights at the Zoo | Glenville Record & Book Fair | C J Wallace interview

By Nathan E. Paige

Cleveland Restaurant Week To Go 2020 – Final Day November 20

The times they are a changin’, and in order to meet new guidelines resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Cleveland Restaurant Week offers culinary delights to go.  Choose from special menus from 41 local eateries offering dinner for two, dinner for four, or dinner with cocktails.  This year’s event will not offer prix-fixe selections.  Select restaurants are offering dine-in deals.

A special program reuniting the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” cast for its 30th anniversary is currently streaming on HBO Max. 

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Reunion – HBO MAX

It’s been 30 years since America was introduced to another memorable NBC family, The Banks – along with transplanted West Philadelphia cousin, Will Smith.  An HBO Max special brings together the majority of the cast of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”  —  Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Daphne Reid, Joseph Marcell and Jazzy Jeff — AND the original Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert)  for an emotional reunion. James Avery (Phil Banks) died in 2013.  The sitcom ran for six seasons from 1990-1996.  Watch the trailer.

       Get into the holiday spirit at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo with “Wild Winter Lights” lighting displays.

Wild Winter Lights at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (Through December 30, 2020)

Nothing says the holiday season like larger-than-life light displays and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo continues their tradition with Wild Winter Lights, presented by NOPEC. This year’s exhibit consists of more than 1 million lights and features themed displays including The Enchanted Forest, Candy Land and performances by The Singing Angels. The display can be experienced on foot or as a drive-through.  Pedestrians will be required to wear masks, and social distancing protocol will be enforced. Wild Winter Lights is currently open Thursdays through Sundays from 5:30-9:30PM, but the schedule will be expanded to include Monday nights beginning November 30. Get more information.

Glenville Record & Book Fair – November 21 (POSTPONED)

The Glenville Record & Book Fair is a collaboration between ThirdSpace Action Lab, Twelve Literary Arts and Brittany’s Record Shop,  and will feature more than 500 books to browse, crates of vinyl from numerous genres, Cleveland-themed apparel,  meals available for purchase from Southern Sweets + CLE Biscuit Heads and more!  Due to the Stay-at-Home order issued by Governor Mike DeWine on November 19, this event has been postponed.  A rescheduled date will be announced.

Watch the archived interview of C.J. Wallace, son of
Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.), who was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. 

Archive of Rock Hall Interview with C.J. Wallace 

As part of the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions celebration, a series of virtual interviews were conducted prior to the November 7 Induction Special on HBO.  One of those interviews was with actor/musician/business owner C.J. Wallace, son of 2020 Inductee Christopher George Latore Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.).  During the interview, Wallace speaks intimately about his father and grandmother, and being an advocate for cannabis.  Watch the archive.

Is there an upcoming event you’d like included in this column? Please send the details, along with a high-resolution photo/graphic, to northcoastnotes@therealdealpress.com at least two weeks prior to the event.

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Nate’s North Coast Notes • Glenville Record and Book Fair | Motor City Magic | Rock Hall induction | Voices of our Community | New York City documentary

By Nathan E. Paige

The Motor City Magic Oldies Revue takes place Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Civic in Cleveland Heights.

Motor City Magic Oldies Revue – (November 7) 

Rescheduled from its original May 2020 date, the Motor City Magic Oldies Revue takes place Saturday, November 7 at the Civic Center, 3130 Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights at 6PM. Featuring performances by La Girlz, Todd East, the Rare Juelles and Afterthought NSB. Tributes to Eric Nolan Grant of The O’Jays and Joe Little.  Hosted by Kevin “Chill” Heard.  MCs: Travion Potts and Dominique Paramore. Masks required; social distancing protocol will be observed. Doors open one hour before showtime. Tickets are $30 - $40 and can be purchased at the door or online. Presented by Wings Above Productions.

This year's Rock Hall induction ceremony will be a pre-taped special airing on HBO & HBO Max, Nov. 7

2020 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony (November 7)

The 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, scheduled to be held in Cleveland earlier this year but cancelled like so many other live performance events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be presented as a pre-taped special Saturday, November 7 at 8 pm on HBO and HBO Max.  This year’s inductees are Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex.  Jon Landau and Irving Azoff will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Unfortunately, the special doesn’t include any new, live performances.

"Free Time" is a 'slice-of life' look at New York City.
It's available for streaming from Nov. 11 through December 23.

“Free Time” - Cleveland Cinematheque Virtual Theater (Screenings begin November 11)

This 2019 ‘slice of life’ documentary by Manny Kirchheimer is comprised of a series of snapshots chronicling a New York City of days gone by and set to music by Maurice Ravel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Count Basie and Hanns Eisler. Shot on 16mm film by Kirchheimer and Walter Hess between 1958 and 1960. Click here to purchase. Screening fee: $12. Viewer has access to the film for 72 hours.

The Near West Theatre will showcase a bevy of local artists on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Voices of Our Community – Near West Theatre (November 19)

On November 19 at 7:30PM, the Near West Theatre, 6702 Detroit Ave [44102], presents “Voices of Our Community,” an evening of local artists providing an intimate showcase of music, dance, spoken word, and poetry. Scheduled performers to be announced. Check the NWT website for updates. This event will be presented on Facebook Live.

The Glenville Record & Book Fair will offer a wide selection of books, vinyl, apparel & more on Nov. 21.

Glenville Record & Book Fair – November 21

The Glenville Record & Book Fair is a collaboration between ThirdSpace Action Lab, Twelve Literary Arts and Brittany’s Record Shop,  and will feature more than 500 books to browse, crates of vinyl from numerous genres, Cleveland-themed apparel,  meals available for purchase from Southern Sweets + CLE Biscuit Heads and more!  Saturday, November 21 from Noon-6PM.

Is there an upcoming event you’d like included in this column? Please send the details, along with a high-resolution photo/graphic, to northcoastnotes@therealdealpress.com at least two weeks prior to the event.

New exhibit examines ‘the rise of Black Glenville’

Shelli Reeves of Reframe History. Photo by Rhonda Crowder.

By Rhonda Crowder

On both sides of the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland has several storied communities. Glenville, located about four-and-a-half miles east of downtown and just a stone’s throw south of Lake Erie, is one. Yet, when most people think of this neighborhood, two things generally come to mind: that it’s the home of Superman or the shootout in the 1960s.

However, the emerging for-profit business Reframe History, founded by Shaker Heights native Shelli Reeves, is attempting to change the narrative of this community through its inaugural exhibit “The Rise of Black Glenville,” which features photos, stories and a mini-documentary about the neighborhood. The exhibit, which can be viewed online or by appointment, is housed at ThirdSpace Action Lab, 1484 E. 105th St. [44106] until the first week of December.

“It’s the people, the people I continue to meet,” says Reeves, 26, when asked why she chose Glenville as her subject matter.

For an exhibit like this, Reeves believes its power lies in bringing together stories and art to express the history of Black people.

“I am a defender of Black history,” she says.

Porch stories

Reeves is a graduate of Shaker schools and Ohio Wesleyan University where she double majored in International Studies and Black World Studies and double minored in Women and Gender Studies and English. When she returned to Cleveland, her work at both Famicos Foundation and Cleveland Museum of Art put her in and around the Glenville area.

“I sat on porches and people told me stories.”

Through the lens of five longtime residents, Evelyn Davis, Darrell Branch, Fannie Allen, Cynthia Evans and Don Freeman, “The Rise of Black Glenville” takes a unique, first-person look at the neighborhood’s history as it began the transition from a Jewish to an African American community in the late 1940s and ‘50s, an era that becomes the focal point of the exhibit.

Reeves used phone trees as her process to select those featured in the exhibit. “The phone tree kept coming back to the same people, particularly to Don Freeman and Evelyn Davis. They were ingrained in the community as people who embodied the topic.”

New perspectives

The physical exhibit includes two panels suspended from the ceiling and the documentary looping on a monitor. The front of the panels can be seen from E. 105th Street, through ThirdSpace’s picture window.

A wooden table placed in the center of the room, adjacent to the backside of the panels, allows visitors to sit and chat with Reeves about the exhibit.

Reeves’ biggest surprise from her research were the different perspectives provided on the infamous Glenville shootout.

“Carl Stokes met with Black leaders and they decided to not allow police into the community for twenty-four hours. They decided the leaders would ‘community police,’” says Reeves. “I had no idea of the strategy and what happened from reading textbooks and newspaper reports.”

Reeves sees this exhibit, and Reframe History, as an opportunity to combat existing narratives by sharing stories that have been marginalized for a long time. “So many of the civil rights big names like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were in [Glenville] at the time,” says Reeves.

She also learned why Blacks chose to move into Glenville. “They spoke of the houses being affordable and it being a great place to raise a family,” she says.

When Reeves approached Branch, who has lived in Glenville since 1955, he thought, “I would love to participate.”

His mom, who is 96 years old, moved to Cleveland from Mississippi and settled in Glenville.

“I’m partial to the Glenville area. I’m a Tarblooder for life,” says Branch, a photographer and filmmaker himself. “To hear the stories would be a wonderful thing, I thought.”

Capturing history

According to Reeves, this exhibit is about capturing history that has already been lost and trying to restore it. She’s worked hard to present these stories to museum standards.

Michelle Jackson, while viewing “The Rise of Black Glenville” at ThirdSpace Action Lab, says “I think it’s pretty amazing.” Jackson thinks its contribution to Glenville is connecting people together.

“What I love is that this is about a community. I hope everyone can come get a taste,” says Jackson, who didn’t grow up in Cleveland and doesn’t know a lot about the various neighborhoods. “As you look at the changes in the community, people will be displaced. This [exhibit] becomes even more important.”

Knowing some of the images were acquired from local archives and others from personal collections, Branch says the latter gives a sense of connection between the participants, showing what they were doing at the time. He’s impressed with the video as well.

“I thought the editing was nice, from a technical standpoint, but also the content. It has a good range of residents,” says Branch. The 99-year-old Evelyn Davis’ attitude about the changing community reminds him of this mother’s.

Reeves, who currently works at Ideastream as a community engagement specialist, examining toxic stress on middle school children, says, “All of my work focuses on stories.”

“The Rise of Black Glenville” is the first of many Reframe History projects to come that will discover new approaches to examining Black history. “We make street corners our galleries and everyday objects become our collection,” says Reeves.

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This exhibit, funded by Famicos Foundation and The Gund Foundation, was initially scheduled to launch in April at Third Space only but Covid-19 caused a pivot to include a website, www.blackglenville.com, as well. To set up an appointment to the view the exhibit in person, email Shelli Reeves at shelli.reeves@reframehistory.org.

Rhonda Crowder is a freelance journalist, entrepreneur, author and literacy advocate. She is also the associate publisher of Who's Who in Black Cleveland.

This article originally appeared in The Land, a local news startup that reports on Cleveland’s neighborhoods and inner ring suburbs. Republished with permission. See the original story here.