Scene March 23, 2021

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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CONTENTS

MARCH 24-APRIL 6, 2021 • VOL. 51 NO 31 Upfront .......................................6 Feature ..................................... 10 Eat ............................................ 21

Music ........................................ 25 Savage Love .............................. 26

REWIND: i999 Dedicated to Free Times founder Richard H. Siegel (1935-1993) and Scene founder Richard Kabat Publisher Andrew Zelman Editor Vince Grzegorek Editorial Music Editor Jeff Niesel Senior Writer Sam Allard Staff Writer Brett Zelman Dining Editor Douglas Trattner Visual Arts Writer Shawn Mishak Stage Editor Christine Howey

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As the next mayoral race begins to kick into gear, it’s helpful to remember Frank isn’t the only shitty mayor Cleveland’s been forced to deal with.

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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UPFRONT NFL ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF LIVE, IN-PERSON DRAFT CEREMONIES IN CLEVELAND

Courtesy the NFL

THE NFL EARLIER THIS WEEK announced some initial details for the upcoming NFL draft festivities in Cleveland taking place April 29 to May 1. They’ll include limited in-person attendance at an outdoor stage next to FirstEnergy Stadium where Commissioner Roger Goodell will welcome players to their new teams, musical performances at the Rock Hall and fan events inside and around the stadium.

Masks will be mandatory and access to the immediate stage area will be limited to people already vaccinated against Covid and picked by the teams as well as the league and host city.

Specific limits on capacity will be set at a later date by the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio, and while it won’t allow the crowd sizes of pre-pandemic NFL Drafts it will still be a marquee affair and the largest event in Cleveland since the

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2016 RNC. “We have been characterizing it as a ‘large, live, in-person event,’” said Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert told the Sports Business Journal, but, “... not everybody who wants to get in will be able to get in.”

Still, thousands are expected to safely descend on downtown Cleveland with about as much fanfare as one could hope for given the current public health situation.

Separate from fan attendees, some 6,000 reporters and staff are expected to work the event.

The lakeside setup near the Great Lakes Science Center will include live outdoor performances at the Rock Hall and the stadium will be open to some number of fans to watch festivities on giant video screens and attempt field goals on the field itself, among other entertainment options.

In addition to representing some

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

return to normalcy as coronavirus numbers dip and jabs in arms continue apace, the NFL hopes to use the event to spread a pro-vax message to help get the world back to normal quicker.

“This draft in particular feels like it represents hope beyond that, because we hope to role model and showcase a bit of what a brighter future continues to look like, in terms of being able to do live, inperson events safely,” NFL Exec VP/ Club Business & League Events Peter O’Reilly told the SBJ. -Vince Grzegorek

Zack Reed Launches 2021 Mayoral Campaign As expected, former Cleveland City Councilman and 2017 mayoral contender Zack Reed has launched his campaign for Cleveland Mayor

in 2021. Reed last week resigned from his post as a minority affairs coordinator with Secretary of State Frank LaRose. He had long said that stepping down from his state job was a prerequisite for a local run.

“I grew up in Cleveland. I have been in every neighborhood and probably every street,” said Reed, in a campaign announcement sent to the media Monday. “I am running for Mayor to make a difference in the lives of real people throughout this city. An amazing future is within our reach. As Cleveland’s next Mayor, we’re going to strengthen our neighborhoods, create more opportunities and ensure a better life for all residents.”

Reed’s “vision,” as outlined on his new campaign website, centers solutions to poverty, violence and “a lack of opportunity.” He argues that inaction from leadership has resulted in Cleveland’s current

circumstances. “The status quo is never good enough,” he said.

In a conversation at the City Club in the aftermath of summer racial justice demonstrations, Reed rejected the notion of defunding the police, but said that he no longer thought that increasing the number of police officers was the most effective way to combat violence. Bulking up the police force was central to his 2017 campaign.

On his current website, though, Reed says that hiring more officers is one of the first steps in building safer neighborhoods.

“This starts by hiring more officers, increasing police efficiency, response times, training and taking strong measures that hold them accountable,” the vision page reads.

Reed listed a number of additional priorities, including holding the schools accountable, instituting new programs and partnerships at Cuyahoga Community College and overhauling the city’s infrastructure.

A video that Reed shared on Twitter Monday shows the candidate talking to constituents across town, accompanied by a jaunty piano riff.

He said he wants to “bring back positive energy” to a city where leadership obstructs, rather than promotes, progress.

“For me it’s never been about some out of touch political agenda,” he says, “It’s about making a difference in the lives of real people.”

Reed was an active campaigner in 2017 and won one of the top two spots in the primary election. He ultimately lost, in decisive fashion, to incumbent Frank Jackson. Reed is a lifelong resident of Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood on the southeast side, an area he represented on city council from 2001-2017. He’ll be competing for votes there with, among others, young executive Justin Bibb, one of the only serious candidates who has declared.

-Sam Allard

City of Cleveland’s Johnson & Johnson Vaccine All Went to Metro for Homeless Population The City of Cleveland has received far fewer doses of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine from the state of Ohio than they have of the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the city’s chief of youth, Tracy Martin-Thompson, (who oversees the health department), told city council last week.

To date, the city has received only 300 of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and all of them were delivered to the MetroHealth hospital

system to be administered to the city’s homeless population, MartinThompson said.

MetroHealth confirmed to Scene that this was the case. The public hospital system had last week already administered 500 first doses of the Moderna vaccine to both members of the homeless community and staff workers who regularly interact with them. The City of Cleveland provided those doses to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and were administered by Metro.

Metro then received the Johnson & Johnson doses Friday. They planned to administer them last week and this week at a number of shelters and service providers for people experiencing homelessness, including Frontline, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries, the West Side Catholic Center, St. Herman’s House of Hospitality, Journey DVCAC, the Metanoia Project, and others.

“It is a privilege to serve this community, which is among the most vulnerable, and is in keeping with MetroHealth’s mission,” a MetroHealth spokesman wrote Scene in an email. -Sam Allard

Kate Warren to Run for City Council in Kevin Kelley’s Ward 13 Kate Warren, a 31-year-old research fellow at the Center for Community Solutions, announced this weekend that she will run for Cleveland City Council in Ward 13.

Warren, who grew up primarily in Lorain County and completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Cleveland State University, told Scene that she began to seriously consider a city council bid this summer. She is seeking the office, she said, out of a love for her community and a desire to help solve the thorniest structural issues facing Cleveland and its residents, especially poverty.

Having worked directly with those experiencing homelessness at the City Mission prior to joining the Center for Community Solutions, Warren feels that she has a unique skill set to offer constituents in Ward 13, which includes Old Brooklyn and a tiny sliver of the Stockyards neighborhood.

“I have direct service experience, and I also have big picture experience with research and public policy work,” she said. “I think I’ll be able to provide quality city services — residents expect their councilperson to address the basic things they need from city government — while also thinking

about policy work to improve living conditions.”

Warren worked with volunteers in Ward 13 during the 2020 presidential election and is currently assembling a campaign team. Her social media announcements over the weekend were met with enthusiastic support.

She plans to formally launch her campaign on April 7, at which time she’ll have more to say about her platform and ward-specific priorities.

She told Scene, though, that residents could expect her to work hard on citywide issues like poverty and health.

As for her campaign, she told Scene she firmly believes in the power of teamwork not only in winning elections, but in engaging residents.

“I believe competitive races across the city are good because they engage residents and get people thinking about how they want city government to serve them,” she said. “There’s a lot of really good energy around this municipal election. There are fresh faces and people who are really qualified and hard-working who want to make a difference. I thought, maybe I should throw my hat in the ring in Ward 13.”

Warren has lived in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood for more than a decade. The Ward is currently represented by Council President Kevin Kelley, who has assembled a massive campaign war chest and is widely assumed to be running for Mayor, though he has not yet officially declared his candidacy.

He has said that he would not make up his mind until he completes a neighborhood listening tour.

-Sam Allard

Lakewood Passes Pay to Stay Legislation, a Win for Tenants’ Rights The City of Lakewood passed legislation last week that will allow tenants to avoid eviction if they pay their full rent and late fees prior to their eviction hearing.

Currently, Ohio is one of only five states in the country where a landlord may file for eviction immediately upon nonpayment of rent. Lakewood’s “Pay to Stay” legislation gives tenants a legally required grace period.

Lakewood is one of several Cleveland suburbs now considering the no-brainer legislation, thanks in large part to the advocacy of groups like the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, (NEOCH). The goal

of the advocacy groups, ultimately, is to get the City of Cleveland on board and then pass Pay to Stay Countywide.

In Lakewood, the legislation made too much sense not to pursue, said Council President Dan O’Malley.

“It’s common sense that if a tenant pays their rent in full, they should be able to stay in their home,” he told Scene last month, after he’d introduced the ordinance.

“Maintaining stability in housing should be a higher priority for governments as we continue the economic and health impacts of COVID-19. The goal of this legislation is to provide that stability without impacting the economic well-being of landlords.”

O’Malley noted that other cities in Ohio had recently passed Pay to Stay ordinances as well. Both Toledo and Yellow Springs passed versions of the tenant protection in 2020.

As initially proposed, the legislation would have sunset at the end of the pandemic state of emergency, but at this week’s hearing, where residents spoke in favor of making the ordinance permanent, councilmen Tristan Rader and John Litten pushed for it to be extended until the end of 2022, with a mandatory review before the legislation’s sunset.

“I am pleased we were able to pass this important law that will allow renters to stay in their homes,” Tristan Rader told Scene.

“If someone is able to catch up on back due rent, they have the right to keep their housing. I hope we can make this law permanent in the near future, and I’m very happy we could protect renters today.”

Molly Martin, NEOCH’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, told Scene that among other things, Pay to Stay legislation like Lakewood’s would add substance to symbolic declarations of racism as a public health crisis in the region by protecting black renters.

“Over 85% of the people in our shelter system are BIPOC and the majority of evicted households include single black women with children,” she said. “The spotlight is on Cleveland right now. We are the poorest big city in the country.

There’s a mayoral and city council elections happening this year, Marcia Fudge was nominated for HUD Secretary, and the 11th congressional district seat is up for grabs. While Pay to Stay is just one example, focusing on stable housing rights is a real way to show people in our community that they have a reason to show up to the polls.”

-Sam Allard | clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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DNA Will be Tested in Grisly Cleveland Cold Case from 1969 On the morning of August 29, 1969, Frank Forney dropped off his 15-year-old stepson, Danny Little, at a property he owned on E. 82nd St. to clean up the lot and burn the trash. This was near the tracks, not far from an old factory and there was junk everywhere. The boy spotted a barrel abandoned in the field next door and figured he could burn the trash inside it. So Little rolled it over and as he went, he noticed a foul smell. When he unsealed the top, the boy discovered a body inside.

The victim was a young Black man who had been shot nine times.

His legs had been sawed off before he was placed into the 55-gallon-drum and covered in some kind of caustic fluid. Then-Cuyahoga County Coroner Dr. Charles Hirsch also found the victim had suffered significant blunt force trauma to his head.

Cleveland police attempted to identify the man, to no avail, even though they had some good clues.

He was found wearing a Waltham wristwatch and a gray metal ring with a blue stone on his 4th finger.

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Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner

He also sported a tattoo – the name, Sally — on the inside of his left forearm. Based on the narrow shape of the man’s skull, it is believed he may have had Crouzon Syndrome, which would have made his eyes appear to be bulging, giving him a very distinct look.

Detectives wondered if his murder was connected to the Black Panther Party.

It’s not a big leap to believe that the Doe in the barrel might have been connected to the Panthers in some way. In the 1960s, the east

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

side of Cleveland was a powder keg of racial tension. There were the Hough riots, in 1966. And then, just a year before the unknown man’s murder, there was a four-hour long shootout in Glenville, between police and a group called the Black Nationalists of New Libya, which led to the deaths of three policemen and three suspects. After decades of Jim Crow laws, black nationalism was on the rise. Some organizations in Cleveland were peaceful. Others, not so much.

The FBI had confidential informants inside the Cleveland chapter of the Black Panther party who fed them a steady stream of information about members as well as the logistics behind a distribution network that circulated propaganda newspapers from of their headquarters in Queens. Was the dead guy a member of the Panthers or the Nationalists of New Libya or some more extreme group? His murder – shot nine times, beaten, sawed in half – certainly has all the hallmarks of an organized hit.

But to this day, nobody knows this man’s name. Nobody has found Sally, who he memorialized on his arm. Fifty-two years have gone by.

This man’s death is an untold part of Cleveland’s history and

new science may be our best shot at uncovering it. The Porchlight Project, a local nonprofit dedicated to solving Ohio cold cases, has agreed to completely fund the DNA tests and genetic genealogy that could lead to finally identifying this victim.

The Porchlight Project recently assisted the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department by providing the funds to test DNA in the 1987 unsolved murder of Barbara Blatnik, which led to the arrest of James Zastawnik for Blatnik’s murder last May. “At the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, we never give up hope that we may provide closure to families and bring criminals to justice even years after a death has occurred,” says Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, Dr. Thomas Gilson. “We are very eager to partner with The Porchlight Project on this case and hope that our effort will be successful. It would also be uniquely satisfying to me to see this case through to completion as the late Dr. Hirsch, the original coroner, was my teacher in forensic pathology.”

Last week, the Medical Examiner’s office shipped a piece of the victim’s bone to Othram, Inc., a one-stop-shop for DNA testing and genetic genealogy in Texas.

Othram’s scientists are experts at recovery, enrichment, and analysis of human DNA, even when the sample is small or degraded.

“Othram’s DNA profiles have been used to identify victims from some of the oldest forensic evidence and we look forward to helping advance this case,” says David Mittelman, Othram CEO. Should the fifty-year-old bone prove to be viable, the lab at Othram will then identify the specific markers in the man’s DNA profile that are used to match with relatives who have uploaded their profiles into public databases like GEDMatch and FamilyTree. With a little luck, a match in a database will lead genealogists to the family of the deceased and, from there, to his identity. - James Renner

James Renner is a former writer for Cleveland Scene and the founder of The Porchlight Project. To learn more, please visit porchlightonline.org.

DIGIT WIDGET 15 Cleveland State University seeding in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. The Vikings fell to the 2-seed Houston Cougars last Friday night in first-round action.

$40,000 Bonus for CSU men’s basketball coach Dennis Gates for winning Horizon League Coach of the Year ($10k), having the best record in the Horizon League ($10k), winning the Horizon League Championship ($15k), and having a conference record of better than .500 ($5k). Gates’ base salary for the 2020-2021 season was $285,000.

$0.10 Cost of a beer at Market Garden Brewery to the first 2021 people who bring their vaccination card to the brewpub on W. 25th Street.

$0.00 Cost of a Krispy Kreme donut for anyone who’s been vaccinated.

(One per day for the rest of 2021.)

Fox 8 Report: Covid Vaccine Doesn’t Prevent You From Dying From Other Things In ‘big if true’ news: Fox 8 last weekend reported that some people who have gotten the Covid vaccine have somehow still died of other stuff.

As it turns out, the Covid vaccine does not grant immortality, nor does it prevent one from dying of cancer, or a heart attack, or renal failure, or any other of the many things that cause human beings to expire.

The basis for the breaking news story were 63 Ohio deaths reported through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which allows literally anyone to make a report with any or no supporting evidence, after some two million Ohioans have received one of the Covid vaccines.

Demographically, those recipients skew older, as the state’s first stages of the rollout included residents over the age of 60.

The motivation for the story, one could surmise, was optimal SEO on a story about vaccines and deaths, even though the CDC has reported that, “A review of available clinical information including death certificates, autopsy, and medical records revealed no evidence that vaccination contributed to patient deaths” after more than 100 million vaccine doses have been given across the country.

While Fox 8 possibly preps a followup story detailing how some Ohioans that have recently died have, at some point in their lives, enjoyed a breakfast of an omelet and a glass of orange juice, health officials have been waging a critical battle to win the confidence of the general public, spreading the message far and wide that science has proven the vaccine to be safe.

With a claim to the largest audience in Northeast Ohio among all TV stations, and by a wide margin, one would hope that Fox 8 would use its outsized megaphone to amplify that message responsibly. Blasting out that “dozens have died among those vaccinated,” despite the meat and bones of the story itself, is simply conspiratorial chum for the internet, and saying that the deaths are “not linked” unnecessarily gives credence to the idea that there was a question whether they were in the first place.

-Vince Grzegorek

scene@clevescene.com @clevelandscene

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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The scene inside the Wolstein Center.

Photo courtesy FEMA

MAGNUS IS A GO A dispatch from the Wolstein Center mass Covid vaccine site

By Sam Allard

OPERATION MAGNUS IS NOW IN FULL EFFECT. That means six thousand people per day are being vaccinated against Covid-19 at the Cleveland State University Wolstein Center, on the very same basketball court where the NCAA tourney-stamped Vikings clawed their way to eight of their 16 regular season victories, en route to a Horizon League Championship.

The mass vaccination site is the largest in Ohio and the only one sponsored by the Federal government.

It is already Northeast Ohio’s marquee theater in what Gov. Mike DeWine has consistently characterized as a war with the coronavirus. DeWine has said he wants to vaccinate as many Ohioans as possible as soon as possible. Operation Magnus will help the state do so “effectively, efficiently and equitably.”

(CSU President Harlan Sands, for the record, who last week got his presidential contract extended to 2026, appears to be the only local,

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state or federal official referring to the effort as “Operation Magnus,” bless his heart. We see no reason not to join him.)

The Wolstein site was selected by the state of Ohio with input from area health officials, who were insistent on prioritizing access via public transit and proximity to populations with above average social vulnerabilities, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control.

Of the 25,000 people who live within one mile of the Wolstein Center, 65% belong to historically marginalized communities; 45% live below the

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

poverty line.

The site was organized and assembled in a brisk two weeks with financial, logistical and personnel support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That support came courtesy of President Joe Biden, who has authorized a number of similar mass vaccination sites nationwide. The Wolstein site, or “megapod,” with uniformed military personnel at every entrance, brings a taste of disaster relief to Northeast Ohio.

By the end of its eight-week run, an estimated 210,000 people will have been vaccinated with either the two-dose Pfizer or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That figure is over and above the weekly allotment of doses provided to the state by the Feds.

If you’ve registered for your shot by phone or online, the process at Wolstein is designed to be fast and frictionless. If you need transportation, for example, you’ll

have access to a free all-day transit pass, which RTA has provided with money from an ODOT grant and which can be accessed by calling the United Way 2-1-1 line. If you arrive by car, you’ll park in a free parking space at one of several lots in the immediate vicinity of the arena.

Volunteers will be on hand providing directions and whisking vehicles through the entrances and exits.

Depending on where you disembark, you’ll then take a free shuttle to the gates of Wolstein, (also provided by RTA with ODOT grant money).

You’ll wait briefly in an outdoor line, get your temperature checked upon entry, and then process around the concourse and down to the arena’s floor, where nearly 500 chairs will have been set up at an appropriate physical distance.

Once seated, one of 32 masked and uniformed soldiers tasked with administering the vaccine will arrive at your side to jab your arm. You’ll wait about 15 minutes, to ensure that

you’re not experiencing side effects.

If you have questions, and you don’t speak English, on-site translators who speak Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic and Mandarin can be summoned at a moment’s notice.

Once you’re cleared, you will exit out the arena’s other side. Another soldier will promptly disinfect your seat for the next in line. If you’re receiving the Pfizer vaccine, you’ll have been automatically scheduled for your second dose at roughly the same time on the same day three weeks later. The site will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine during its final two weeks of operation.

From start to finish, the process is meant to take less than an hour, and early reports from those who were vaccinated in the site’s opening days suggest that things are moving even more quickly than that. In informal conversations conducted outside the arena, and in celebratory social media posts, the consensus among those who’d received shots was that the level of efficiency was elite, ditto the level of volunteer friendliness. Everything far exceeded expectations.

The volunteers confirmed the exuberant vibes to Scene.

“People are amped up,” a CSU student volunteer told Scene.

“They walk through this tent at the beginning, and it feels like you’re getting on a carnival ride or something.”

As the site was ramping up to full capacity last week -- from 1,500 shots on Tuesday, to 3,000 on Wednesday, to 4,500 on Thursday and finally to 6,000 on Friday, where it will remain -- soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Cambpell, Kentucky, and National Guardsmen out of Brook Park were constantly evaluating operations to enhance efficiencies, Brigadier General Rebecca O’Connor told the media. The operation is now humming, administering more than 400 shots per hour every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Last Tuesday, at a socially distant press event coinciding with the site’s “soft launch,” Gov. DeWine announced that the state’s estimated supply of vaccine doses was expected to increase significantly the week of March 29. Through the month of March, the state has been receiving about 400,000 doses per week. On the week of March 29, available doses could be 500,000 or more.

Bearing the increase in mind, and on the advice of county health directors across Ohio, who want to ensure that no vaccine goes to waste, DeWine announced expanded eligibility. Doses had been initially

targeted at the state’s oldest and most vulnerable residents.

“We’ve always had one goal,” DeWine said, “to save lives. That’s why we started in our nursing homes and with people 80 and above. But we also have the moral imperative to ensure that no shots are just sitting someplace, that they get used as soon as possible.”

Last Friday, all Ohioans over 40 and those with an expanded list of medical conditions, including cancer and obesity, became eligible.

On March 29, when the supply is expected to increase, all Ohioans 16 and older will become eligible.

Dr. Lynn Milliner, who spoke to Cleveland City Council about the mass vaccination site and the various available vaccines last week, expressed optimism about the state’s prospects while also encouraging residents to remain vigilant.

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “But we’re still in the tunnel.”

FAR AND AWAY THE MOST important concern articulated by agency partners in remarks about Operation Magnus was the equitable distribution of the vaccine. This was an echo and extension of federal messaging. It became apparent early on that despite the intentionality of the Wolstein Center’s location, and targeted outreach, far more white people were registering for appointments than people of color.

“That has to change!” County Executive Armond Budish exclaimed at a press conference, forever sounding like he’s talking to third graders. “It comes down to a matter of life and death!”

Budish said that the site’s accessibility and free transit passes are important, but they only go so far. Vulnerable communities face other challenges to scheduling appointments. One of the biggest, he said, is trust.

“Lots of people, particularly black and brown people, don’t trust the government and they don’t trust vaccines,” he said.

To combat that skepticism, the county has partnered with a number of nonprofit organizations to “talk to their folks” in the hopes that information about the vaccine can be delivered from trusted sources.

Gov. DeWine said that at least 300 agencies in Cuyahoga County have been doing this work. He mentioned the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland NAACP, Global Cleveland, the Hispanic Roundtable, and a number of faithbased groups. (Budish even quipped that if the Wolstein site vaccinated

Kevin Sly works the floor at Wolstein.

Photo courtesy FEMA

all the people that Gov. DeWine has thanked, that would cover about half of Cuyahoga County.)

These outreach efforts coincide with more active, and still developing, programs and events to bring the vaccine to residents, including seniors, those experiencing homelessness and those without internet access. The City of Cleveland, for example, has had mobile pods vaccinating seniors in high-rise housing facilities for several weeks. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health recently vaccinated 350 people in East Cleveland in partnership with the Salvation Army and more than 1,600 at a recent event at the Word Church in Warrensville Heights. MetroHealth, with doses provided by the City of Cleveland, has been vaccinating those experiencing homelessness at multiple shelters.

At Wolstein, every day, a portion of the available vaccines are being set aside for vulnerable communities.

Some, DeWine said, would be reserved for churches and other groups.

While the site will not take walk-ins, Brigadier General Rebecca O’Connor said that people can arrive in person to schedule a shot at a later date. If appointments are canceled, those on a waiting list will be contacted to ensure that no shot goes unused.

(Cleveland’s 17 city council members were also promised 50 doses each, to be used for those in their wards.)

Kevin Sly, FEMA’s regional administrator on site at Wolstein, spoke last week about the efforts to vaccinate residents with equity in mind. He described Operation Magnus as an explicit effort to vaccinate those most in need.

“The Wolstein Center does not only provide the necessary space and structure to administer 6,000 doses per day,” he said. “It is uniquely situated to support medically underserved communities in the city.”

Sly, as a Black man, stressed the importance of communicating to black people the need to get vaccinated.

“As an African-American with at least three comorbidities, I decided

to take the shot,” Sly said. “It was not an easy decision for me, but it was one I knew I had to take. My grandmother, my mother, my uncle, my cousin and my twin sister got Covid-19 back in March of last year and I was extremely scared for the outcome. This is the number-one priority for people of color and for all Ohioans. It is imperative that you all get the shot, especially those communities that have been hit the hardest with Covid-19.”

The good news is that every day an increasing number of Ohians are getting vaccinated. As of last Wednesday, more than 2.4 million across the state had received their first dose, and 2/3rd of Ohioans older than 70 were vaccinated.

Gov. DeWine, having toured the Wolstein site with his wife Fran and spoken with folks receiving shots, said that the “universal response” was one of relief and happiness.

That corresponds with comments made to Scene.

“Quick, easy,” reflected one man outside Wolstein after his first dose.

“Painless” said another on Twitter.

(No one personally told Scene that they were looking forward to hugging their relatives again, but reporting by other local outlets illustrated just how eager folks are to hug their friends and families after a year of isolation.)

Wolstein is one of more than 1,300 locations across the state where Ohioans may be vaccinated, and while it’s by far the largest option locally, there are 150 other providers scheduling appointments in Cuyahoga County. DeWine estimated that by the end of the month, there would be a total of 15 mass vaccination sites in Ohio. Very soon, it would seem, there will be more supply than demand.

CSU President Harlan Sands said he was bowled over by the leadership he saw on display in the setup of the Wolstein site, particularly from National Guard Brigadier General Rebecca O’Connor, whom he called “the power” behind Operation Magnus.

It was O’Connor, in fact, according to CSU media relations, who christened the operation after CSU’s mascot. It’s technically “Joint Task Force Magnus,” not “Operation Magnus.” And O’Connor selected the name, per a CSU spokesperson, “in honor of CSU and the quality and level of support we are providing, and to recognize our men’s basketball team’s Horizon League win.”

scene@clevescene.com @clevelandscene | clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2021 | CLEVELANDMACNCHEESEWEEK.COM

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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4129 E 49th St, Cuyahoga Heights GOUDA MAC N CHEESE

House Made Gouda Cheese, Chicken and Broccoli Topped with Bacon

All Saints Public House allsaintscle.com

1261 W 76th St, Cleveland Black truffle gruyere Mac n Cheese

Cavatappi pasta tossed with black truffle gruyere cheese sauce.

Topped with toasted breadcrumbs.

Spatzle n cheese

Homemade spatzle tossed with aged white cheddar cheese sauce.

Topped with caramelized onions.

Add: Beer Braised Pork +$5, Chicken +$5, Bratwurst +$5, Bacon +$2

Astoria Cafe & Market astoriacafemarket.com

5417 Detroit Ave, Cleveland Mac and cheese

Orrecchiette pasta tossed in a mixture of Gouda, Gruyere, Fontina, Cheddar and Parmesan Cheeses. Finished with freshly cracked black pepper and green onion.

Beerhead Bar & Eatery beerheadbar.com/cleveland-ohio

1156 W. 11th St, Cleveland BBQ Brisket Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese Heirloom Tomato Feta Mac & Cheese

Betts

eatatbetts.com

2000 E 9th St, Cleveland BOURSIN BACON MAC & CHEESE

Cavatappi Noodles topped with House Made Boursin Cheese and Bacon Jam

city Barbeque citybbq.com

24325 Chagrin Blvd, Beachwood 2870 W Market St. Fairlawn 17818 Royalton Rd. Strongsville Jacked Mac ‘n Cheese

Gourmet Guy Cafe gourmetguycafe.com

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20253 Lake Rd, Rocky River Truffle Mac and cheese

Elbow noodles topped with our homemade white cheddar cheese infused with truffle oil and topped with scallions.

Buffalo chicken Mac and cheese-Add $7.00 Elbow noodles topped with our homemade white cheddar cheese, buffalo sauce, chicken with blue cheese and ranch.

Veggie Mac and cheese-Add $5.00 Elbow noodles topped with our homemade white cheddar cheese, butternut squash, black beans and chipotle crema.

The Greatroom and Bar marriott.com/clesc

1360 W Mall Dr, Cleveland Cajun Mac

Andouille, Italian sausage, bell peppers, caramelized onions, zesty creole cheese sauce

Grumpy’s Cafe grumpyscafe.com

2621 West 14th St, Cleveland MexiMac

Cavatappi pasta in a cheddar-parm cream sauce with chorizo, tomatoes & spinach

Gunselman’s Tavern gunselmans.com

Mac and cheese, corned beef, sa with thousand island. (3 to an ord

Ninja City Kitchen and Bar ninjacity.com

6706 Detroit Ave, Cleveland KIMCHI MAC & CHEESE

Creamy 3-cheese Mac topped w/ & scallions Add: Crispy fried chicken or catfi *Kimchi contains shellfish

Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar nuevomodmex.com

1000 East 9th St, Cleveland ROASTED POBLANO MAC N C

Bowtie pasta, roasted poblano & roasted corn & tomatillo salsa Add: Chorizo +$3, Short rib +$3,

Market Garden Brewery marketgardenbrewery.com

1947 West 25th St, Cleveland Green Chili Chicken Mac

Roasted chilies, braised chicken, sweet and spicy salsa verde.

Carolina Reaper Mac

Ohio City BBQ E ohiocitybbq.com

Gallucci’s Pepperoni, mozzarella provolone blended cheese and house pizza sauce in a bowl with our white cheddar mac n cheese. It’s the best of both worlds!

Carolina Reaper hot pepper cheese and house pico de gallo mixed in with our white cheddar mac n cheese. Yes, it’s hot, spicy and wonderful.

Inferno infernoflats.com

1059 Old River Rd, Cleveland 3 Cheese Mac

3 cheese cream sauce, spinach and mushrooms topped with garlic bread crumbs.

BBQ BACON MAC PIZZA +$3.00

B E SU R E TO G E T YOU R PA SS P O RT S TA MPE D

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1859 West 25th St, Cleveland Rueben Mac Bites

21490 Lorain Rd, Fairview Park Pepperoni Pizza Mac

Baked with Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheeses.

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

Nano Brew Cleveland nanobrewcleveland.com

Ta

3829 Lorain Ave, Cleveland Mac Daddy

Housemade Mac n Cheese with S Smokey BBQ Sauce topped with

Mac mama

Housemade Mac n Cheese with S Smokey BBQ Sauce topped with

2 Sides of Original Housemade M

(Vegetarian Friendly)- 2 for $5.00

Old Carolina Barbecue Company oldcarolina.com

21613 Center Ridge Rd, Rocky 14795 Pearl Rd Strongsville Mac and Cheese BBQ Bowl

Topped with Your Choice of Meat Cheese, Green Onions and Sweet

# C LE VE L ANDM AC NC HE ESE WE E K |

N C H E E S E W E E K LO C AT I O N S Saucy Brew W orks saucy brewworks.com

auerkraut, Swiss cheese der)

2885 Detroit Ave, Cleveland Saucy Mac N Cheese

Pasta baked with mozzarella, provolone, American, and parmesan, sprinkled with bread crumb crust and Pecorino romano.

Pepperoni pizza Mac N Cheese

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Pasta, pepperoni, mozzarella, provolone, and pink sauce, baked in a Pizza Crust Bowl, topped with parmesan crumbs.

/ spicy *kimchi, togarashi seasoning,

fish: +$5

Salted Doug h E G salteddoug h.com

Tartine Bistro

G E

Tartinebistro.com

19110 Old Detroit Rd, Rocky River Ratatouille

Squash + eggplant + tomato + basil

Beef Bourg uig non

Braised beef + root vegetables + roasted garlic + parsley Jambalay a

Shrimp + braised chicken + andouille sausage + tomato Choucroute Garnie

Duck confit + andouille sausage + pork belly + sour sprouts

9174 Broadview Rd, Broadview Heights PORK BELLY MAC AND CHEESE

Bouillabaisse

FRIED MAC AND CHEESE BOMB

W ild Eag le Saloon W ildeag le.com

Mussels + shrimp + cod + saffron

Penne pasta with white cheddar cheese and truffle powder topped with caramelized onions.

Elbow pasta with house smoke slab bacon, jalapeno pepper and sharp cheddar cheese finished with Salted Dough yum yum sauce.

CHEESE

chihuahua cheese sauce, fire

, Black beans +$3

V EGAN MAC AND CHEESe

921 Huron Rd, Cleveland Mac & Cheese Balls

Gluten Free Penne Pasta with sweet peas and caramelized onions.

Our award-winning macaroni + cheese rolled into a ball & fried crispy with a kick!

sol Solwilloug hby .com

Our award winning homestyle recipe made with creamy pasta shells.

Spicy Mac & Cheese

38257 Glenn Ave, Willoughby

Chorizo Mac and Cheese Penne pasta, cerveza con queso, homemade chorizo, garlic aioli, espellette bread crumbs

Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Mac & Cheese

Our homestyle recipe made with creamy pasta shells and all your favorite toppings!

creamy mac and cheese sauce,

SOMETHINGOOD To Eat On

ake Out Only

E Larchmere something ood.co

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12210 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland

Smoked Brisket, Sweet and Crispy Fried Onion Straws.

Double Messy Mac 16oz of our homemade vegan and nut-free GOOD Cheese stirred up with some additional grilled veggies, a worry free cruelty free mac and cheese for all to see.

M AC N C HE ESE WEEK KEY

Double Jack Mac

Smoked Pulled Pork, Sweet and Crispy Fried Onion Straws.

Mac n Cheese

A speciality deal of our Messy Mac stirred up with our BBQ Jackfruit for a combination that is beyond belief. Pair either Macs with our GOOD Ranch, which is also vegan and made in-house, for an extra delight.

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Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Cleveland stbcbeer.com/taprooms/cleveland

811 Prospect Ave. E, Cleveland Beer Brats, peppers, onions, and stadium mustard

y River

t, Fried Onion Straws, Cheddar t OC BBQ Sauce.

Tossed with a Southern-style 4-cheese sauce (cheddar, American, mozzarella, and cream cheese).

Add: (In-taproom only) - Grand Slam Upgrade for $15 which will include a flight of CLE Brew’d beers with your Mac & Cheese!

C LE V E L AN DM AC N C H E E S E W E E K .C OM

Veggie Option Available

E

Vegan Option Available

G

Gluten Free Option Available

T

Take-Out Available

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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EAT LONG TIME COMING

Twisted Taino’s twisted path to fruition comes with a tasty payoff for Cleveland diners

FOR NEARLY A DECADE, Jose Melendez has been steadily marching toward his goal of opening a Latin-inspired restaurant, overcoming setbacks with the full force of an NFL running back. To stick with the football analogy, Melendez currently is on the oneyard line, with just a few more defenders separating him from his objective.

Melendez’s first big break came when a one-time catering gig turned into a more permanent one. He soon set down roots – as tenuous as they might have been – in the banquet center of St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Old Brooklyn. Despite the pious setting, the budding chef’s monthly Latin buffets drew large, enthusiastic crowds. Those early successes matured into a steady client roster of catered weddings, birthdays and quinceañeras.

Intent on achieving his goal of opening a restaurant, Melendez enrolled in Jumpstart’s intensive 12-week business program Core City: Cleveland Impact. When “Demo Day” rolled around, Melendez failed to walk away with the big prize of $10,000, which would have gone a long way toward establishing a permanent location. Instead of giving up, he continued to perfect his craft and share his love of Latinfusion cuisine through a neverending calendar of pop-ups at places like Forest City Shuffleboard, La Placita and Allen Wine Bar. When the owners of a new food hall concept put out a plea for cheftenants to apply for a spot in their as-yet-unopened Cleveland location, Melendez answered the call. After a lengthy series of interviews and live-cooking trials, he once again felt the sting of defeat, failing to secure one of the four opening slots at Ohio City Galley. But this chapter had a plot twist; just two years later Melendez would end up inside that very building, now called Sauce the City Food Hall.

“Food saved my life,” Melendez says with the frequency of a mantra.

He openly talks about his years as an unhoused person living out of his car, wearing the experience more

Photo courtesy Twisted Taino

By Douglas Trattner

as a badge of determination than shame. Melendez also will tell you that his professional setbacks have only made him a better chef and operator.

“The food wasn’t as defined at the moment,” he says about his Galley tryout. “I understood that I had to put more work into it. After I did a couple pop-up restaurants, I was able to actually see what dishes work and

gets stuffed with a choice of garlic shrimp, guajillo-roasted pork or crispy chicharron. It is sauced and garnished with fried potato sticks for added texture. Another popular Latin dish that sticks with tradition is the pastelón ($14), often referred to as Puerto Rican lasagna. In place of pasta, the layers of meat and cheese are supported by thinly sliced plantain.

TWISTED TAINO 1400 W. 25TH ST., CLEVELAND 216-310-5880 TWISTEDTAINO.COM

what dishes didn’t.”

Visit Twisted Taino in Ohio City and you’ll see the cultures and flavors of Puerto Rico, Colombia, Mexico and various Caribbean ports of call “twisted” into delicious new ways. The eclectic menu items might not always look familiar, but the taste is undeniably authentic.

Melendez might be making the best mofongo in Cleveland, with the mash sporting the perfect consistency and just the right amount of garlic. In dishes like Margie’s Barrel ($15), that mofongo

The Tripleta wrap ($13) transforms that classic Puerto Rican sandwich into a burrito bursting with tender shredded pork, chicken, ham, cheese and a trio of sauces.

Like everything at Twisted Taino, the wrap appears to be apportioned to feed an entire family, packed with more than a pound of meat. Other handhelds on the menu include a traditional Cubano, a plantaincapped hamburger and soft cornshelled tacos available with a choice of seven different seafood, meat or veggie fillings.

Melendez flexes his fusion muscles in appetizers like the empanadas ($10), a trio of crispy half-moon pastries filled with blends like zesty ground beef and cheese, juicy crawfish and alligator, and margarita pizza toppings. There’s nothing fancy about the tostones ($4), simply satisfying wheels of flattened and twice-fried plantains served with an avocado-based dipping sauce.

Puerto Rican food fans should seek out Twisted Taino for the dreamy frappes alone. Melendez whips up a dozen different fruit-filled concoctions. My very large “small” order ($4) arrived bearing a candy store’s worth of toppings like mini HoHos, cookies and marshmallows, all tucked into a cloud of whipped cream.

As for Melendez’s brass ring, the restaurant he’s been striving for since he learned how to cook was slated to open in Parma late last year. After a series of foreseeable and unforeseeable delays, the project is now slated to open in April.

Predictably, Melendez is taking the delays in stride.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner | clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

Photo courtesy Boss ChicknBeer

EAT BITES

Boss ChicknBeer expanding to Bay Village and Seven Hills

By Douglas Trattner HEATHER DOEBERLING AND Emily Moes made such a splash with their popular food truck Boca Loca that they opened a Berea-based brick-and-mortar operation of the same name a couple years later.

They parlayed those early successes into Boss ChicknBeer (120 Front St., 440-532-7660), which they opened in 2018, also in Berea.

Recently, they sold both Boca Loca ventures to focus on Boss, a brand bound for bigger things. First up: a second shop in Bay Village.

“Boss has done really, really well and after probably the first six months we started planning for Bay Village,” Doeberling says. “We didn’t even look around.”

Boss struck a chord with diners thanks to a hyper-focused menu that zeroes in on – wait for it – chicken and beer. But also because of the seamless nature in which the business fits into the neighborhood around it, adds Doeberling.

“Berea is a really tight-knit community that generations grow up in,” she explains. “I tell people that Boss is a diner where you don’t bring your own friends; you meet friends when you come here. The community part of it has always been really important and that’s why we decided right away that Bay Village would be the place for number two because Bay Village is such a community.”

Bay is a project three years in the making. The partners signed in 2019, expected to open in 2020, but in reality will open in April of this year. At 1,000 square feet, the new location (27321 Wolf Rd.) is a third smaller than the original, but that didn’t concern the owners.

“There are not a lot of options to put a restaurant in Bay Village, so we kind of had to change our model just a little bit; we had to shrink it down and get more creative,” says Doeberling. “If there’s anything that 2020 taught us it’s that you can get creative with your space. So many people were sitting on space that they couldn’t use.”

The menu, however, will be the same as that in Berea, including the increasingly popular vegan items.

In fact, the vegan menu actually expanded as a result of the pandemic,

Doeberling reports.

“During the pandemic, with all the supply chain problems, we were going to start really having trouble getting wings,” she says. “But the supply chain with our produce company was the opposite; our produce company was having to give away or throw away a lot of produce because it was going bad because so many restaurants weren’t buying anymore. We decided to try to contribute by expanding our vegan menu and making it its own menu.

And it works.”

Considering that Doeberling and Moes are planners, it’s not surprising in the least to learn that location number three already is in the works.

The women are beefing up the squad in anticipation.

“We’re growing our team in a super-strong way,” she says. “Seven Hills, we’re coming!”

Martha on the Fly, a Weekend Carry-Out Breakfast Concept, Coming to Good Company Chef Ryan Beck launched Martha Pie on the Fly, a social media-propelled cottage food biz, while working at the Plum. Since launching in November, Martha pies like vanilla bean custard, apple crumble, and smoky pumpkin and sweet potato have been flying off the virtual shelves, says Beck.

“Up this point we’ve made a couple 100 pies and have gotten pretty good feedback and got pretty good doing it, so why not branch out and see what else we can do,” Beck explains. “What’s next for Martha?”

What’s next is a quick-serve breakfast concept called Martha on the Fly. The operation will take over Good Company (1200 W. 76th St.) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during the weekends of March 27, April 3 and April 10 (with others possible). Orders are placed and paid for online and picked up in Battery Park.

The approachable menu features various egg and cheese sandwiches on house-baked Scotch rolls. Some star house-cured and smoked bacon, housemade beef bologna, and homemade pork sausage patties. All are dressed

with creamy “Sunshine sauce,” which blends the best parts of hollandaise and mayo, says Beck.

Of course, there’s pie, breakfast’s unsung hero. Both sweet and savory options are available, along with drip coffee, Guardian Cold Brew and coldpressed juice from Beet Jar. If all goes well, the Martha on the Fly brand could grow to include a more permanent breakfast residence along with other meal services as well.

“We believe that as people start going back to work downtown, Ohio City and Tremont, where can you stop and grab a quick breakfast to take with you,” Beck explains. “I haven’t let go of this diner idea of being what people want for all meal periods.

Martha could eventually turn into another kind of pop-up in addition to breakfast.”

Beck is partnering on the project with LT Magnotto, Justin Carolyne and Joey Marino.

Youngstown-Based StoneFruit Coffee Co. to Open in Former Pour Cleveland Spot This Spring It’s been less than one month since Pour Cleveland owner Charlie Eisenstat announced that he was closing his eight-year-old retail shop downtown, but already the space has been claimed by another coffee roaster and retailer. Joshua Langenheim of StoneFruit Coffee Co. says the goal is to open the doors sometime this April.

Langenheim launched his Youngstown-based company just five years ago, but already has expanded with locations in Boardman, Poland, Canfield and downtown Youngstown.

“This will make our fifth location and we’re super-excited to bring our brand and product to downtown Cleveland,” Langenheim says. “It’s really a very exciting step for us.

Getting into the city, I think, should be everybody’s goal. And this is the heart of it.”

When it comes to coffee, Langenheim adds, “We do everything in house. We source it, we roast it, we grind it, we brew it, we drink it, we love it.”

The Cleveland location will receive freshly roasted coffee from the main roastery in Boardman every three days. It is sold by the cup and by the bag. The coffee is available as pourover cups, espressos, Americanos, lattes, frappuccinos and many other variations.

As for food options, the owner states, “We let the market dictate that. Every one of our locations has a space for baked goods, and I do have a bakery at my Boardman location, but I also want to see what the Cleveland market has to offer. We’ve had a lot of luck when it comes to working with local vendors and see if we can’t partner with some of those vendors.”

Langenheim is inheriting an attractive turnkey coffee shop, but he does plan to make a few adjustments.

“I want to make it a little more Cleveland vibrant, if you will,” he says, adding that a Cleveland-themed mural is in the works.

When it does open around midApril, StoneFruit likely will run from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. but Langenheim intends to expand those hours into the evening down the road.

Ohio Pie Co. Teases Out Likely Second Location in Rocky River In a very crowded market, Ohio Pie Co. (1315 1/2 Pearl Rd., 330-741-4117) has made its presence known since opening two years ago. Pizza lovers routinely make pilgrimages to a colorful storefront in Brunswick to claim one, two, or more thick, squarecut pies. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the shop to run out of dough long before it runs out of daylight.

Still, many in Northeast Ohio have yet to try it because 30 minutes is a long way to travel for pizza, regardless how delicious it might be. For those people, Ohio Pie Co. just teased out a bit of good news. A social media post hinted at a new location – its second – in what looks to be the former Pizza Hut in Rocky River, located in the plaza with Whole Foods Market.

dtrattner@clevescene.com t@dougtrattner | clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

Dinosaur Jr. photo by Cara Totman

Social distancing measures will be in place throughout the weekend, and fans will enjoy the shows from “concert pods” which measure eight feet-by-eight feet with six-foot lanes between each pod. While inside their pods, fans will be able to enjoy the shows mask-free, per state and local health guidelines.

Concert pod tickets to ekoostik hookah’s 30th anniversary concert start at $199.99, which includes pod access for two people for the entire weekend along with free parking. Legend Valley is also offering a limited number of campsites starting at just $100 per concert pod for the weekend.

The venue is located approximately 30 miles east of downtown Columbus. A mere 1,500 total tickets will be sold for the event.

MUSIC

Akron’s Land of Panda to Release New Feel-Good Single

C-NOTES

Grog Shop teams up with Vans for special merch to benefit club

By Jeff Niesel AS CLEVELAND CONCERT clubs do what they can to keep the lights on until shows resume, the Grog Shop last week announced another way to show your support.

The beloved Cleveland Heights venue has partnered with Vans on a limited-edition line of shoes and shirts designed by local artist Jake Kelly.

“With the purchase of each pair of Vans Customs using our partners custom designs, Grog Shop will receive the net proceeds to help us out during this challenging time,” owner Kathy Blackman said in a release.

“Our Foot The Bill products are a very limited release of 1,000 pairs of shoes and 250 t-shirts. Vans created this program with the goal of supporting local and community driven business and partners including skate shops, restaurants, music venues, art galleries and community spaces.”

The Grog Shop/Vans merch is for sale now.

Dinosaur Jr. to Play Agora in October Given that a band like Dinosaur Jr. is used to touring constantly,

the shutdown from P ho to c our t the pandemic must have es y Gr o g Sh really thrown it for a loop. op Ready, willing and able to hit the road as soon as it’s safely possible, the group just announced largely dates for a fall tour. without the Singer-guitarist J. Mascis has support of mainstream media, many personal friends in town, so corporate management, or even a it’s no surprise the jaunt includes record label. a Cleveland date. Dinosaur Jr. will To celebrate its 30th perform on Oct. 1 at the Agora. anniversary, the band will host a Tickets are on sale now. special socially distanced outdoor The tour supports the event on May 14 and 15 at Legend forthcoming album, Sweep It Into Valley featuring support from Space.

Keller Williams, Ed McGee, Glostik Willy, and more As part of the two-day concert, Ekoostik Hookah to Celebrate former band member Ed McGee (vocals, guitar) will join local 30th Anniversary with favorite Nat Reeb (vocals, acoustic Two-Day, Socially Distanced guitar) for a unique set consisting Outdoor Concert only of songs written by McGee Formed in 1991, the Ohio-based and the late John Mullins, who cojam band ekoostik hookah has founded hookah in 1991. hosted more than 50 iterations of “The set will provide a once-in-aHookahville, a biannual festival lifetime experience for both longusually held over Memorial and time fans and newcomers alike, Labor Day weekends. Over the as the band pays homage to both decades, the festival has featured Ed [McGee] and John [Mullins]’s national acts such as Ratdog, Gov’t legacies as former members,” reads Mule, Umphrey’s McGee, Béla Fleck a press release about the event. & the Flecktones, Blues Traveler, Hookah will perform four and countless others. The group additional original sets across the has achieved success and longevity two nights.

Formed in 2017, Akron’s Land of Panda released its self-titled debut album two years ago and has regularly performed around Northeast Ohio ever since.

Prior to the pandemic, Land of Panda had just completed another busy winter concert schedule. It sold out the West Side Bowl in Youngstown with Tropidelic, headlined a well-attended concert at Jilly’s Music Room in Akron and opened a show at the Grog Shop with After Funk. The pandemic put touring on hold, but the band has remained busy. It’s performed at small outdoor festivals that complied with Covid-19 protocols and began recording its sophomore EP in March of 2020 at Signal Flow Studios.

This week, Land of Panda will release the feel-good reggae-tinged “Burn the Fire,” a new single from its forthcoming sophomore. The group also plans to hit the road this summer with Supaman and Tropidelic.

Its next shows are at Buzzbin Arts and Music Shop on April 10 and at the Spring Phoenix Rising Festival in Newark on April 23 and 24.

jniesel@clevescene.com t@jniesel | clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

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SAVAGE LOVE LIVESTREAM

By Dan Savage I want to thank everyone who attended our third Savage Love Livestream last Saturday night.

Mistress Matisse was our very special guest, and we tackled a lot of questions about BDSM over a very lively ninety minutes. We didn’t get to every question — there were so many — but I will now, as promised, power through as many livestream leftovers as I can in this week’s column …

Hey, Dan: You say people need to be in “good working order” to be in a relationship. What if you will never be in “good working order” because you cope with a mental health condition?

Having a mental health condition isn’t proof a person isn’t or can’t be in good working order; likewise, not having a mental health condition isn’t proof a person is in good working order. I mean, we all know people without mental health conditions who are walking disasters. Now someone with a mental health condition who refuses to get help or to stay on their meds might not be in goodenough working order to be in or sustain a relationship. But taking care of ourselves is one of the most important ways we demonstrate that we are, in actual fact, in goodenough working order to fuck, date, or marry. Or all three. So, far from proving you’re not fit to be in a relationship, having a mental health condition that you’re doing something about — having one or more that you’re actively coping with — is evidence you are in good working order.

Hey, Dan: I’m way more into BDSM than my huzzben. He enjoys it, but he does not initiate play. How can I encourage him to be the instigator of rough sex? We have negotiated limits and safe words but he finds using restraints and toys to be too much work!

Since your huzzben has made it clear that restraints and toys are a too much work, I would advise you to relieve him of the burden of tying you up and shoving toys in your ass by finding a third who enjoys your kinks and/or regularly attending play parties with or without your

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husband — when the pandemic ends, of course. Who knows? Your husband might not like doing the work of tying you up but he might enjoy making out with you (or someone else) while someone else does the work of tying you up.

Hey, Dan: If my fiancée bought a house, do we say, “We bought a house”? I got laid off at the start of the pandemic, but her career has taken off, and she’s proud of being able to afford a house all on her own. So how do we keep things respectful while still honoring her accomplishment? She wants the house to feel like mine as well. (I’m a dude.)

To casual acquaintances you could say, “Hey, we got a new place.” To close friends and family you could say, “She’s doing so well that she bought this house — I’m really proud of her and so lucky to be with her.”

Hell, you could say those things to casual acquaintances and close friends interchangeably because both are true. And assuming you live in a marital property state, Mr. Dude, the house becomes yours too after you’re married. In the meantime you can earn a little sweat equity (and homeowner cred) by taking the lead on fixing the place up.

Hey, Dan: I have a question about the “tech-savvy, at-risk youth” who work on the Savage Lovecast. Wouldn’t it be nicer to just refer to them as the tech-savvy youth? How do they feel about having the “at-risk” label applied to them? Surely it gives you guys a perhaps deserved pat on the back, but I can’t help thinking that little bit of stigma could be damaging. I was once an “at-risk” youth myself and even though I enjoyed and benefited from programs that were specifically created to help teens/youth in my situation, I was always keenly aware that it made me feel “less than” and like I needed special treatment.

I wasn’t trying to give myself a pat on the back when I started referring to the kids who were working on the Lovecast as the “tech-savvy, at-risk youth.” It was just a joke — maybe not a funny one — as they were all certainly tech-savvy, for sure, but the only risk they were running was being in the same room with me. I’m

| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021

sorry if that joke reminds you of a time in your life when you felt “less than.”

Hey, Dan: We have a friend who could be a unicorn. They have already subtly expressed interest though they are generally possessive and need to be “number one” in a relationship. We’re interested but we worry about their possessiveness causing problems.

I’m guessing your friend is hot — I mean, that would explain why you’re willing to overlook how emotionally unsuited they are for the unicorn role. Because if you’re looking for someone to play a sexy-but-subordinate role in your relationship, if you’re not seeking an equal partner and/or you’re not open to your unicorn becoming an equal partner, the last person on Earth you should consider for your unicorn is someone you know to be possessive and interested in being first, not last.

Hey, Dan: I’m a 27-year-old queer/poly woman from NYC. My question: I used to babysit my friend’s baby. And when I would show up to babysit, her husband would be there to let me in to the apartment and we would chat for ten minutes before he left for work. I don’t babysit anymore, but sometimes he texts me a picture of the baby and I’ll reply with, “So cute!” That felt normal.

But one day he texted me two selfies.

I didn’t reply because I thought that was weird. Is this something I should mention to my friend? I can’t tell if this is weird enough to bring up to her. Or is there something I should have said to him?

You don’t know what’s going on in your friend’s relationship — maybe flirting with others is allowed — but you do know how you feel about her husband sending your selfies: You don’t like it. If your silence wasn’t enough to put a stop to it and he sends more photos and/or messages that make you feel uncomfortable, tell him to knock it off. If he doesn’t knock it off, tell him he’s gonna leave you with no choice but to alert his wife. If he still doesn’t knock it off, alert his wife.

Hey, Dan: I’m 39 years old, cis and female. COVID has really tanked my sex drive. I’ve masturbated like twice

in the last four months. I guess my question is ... do you think things are gonna go back to normal? Please tell me yes.

Yes.

Hey, Dan: I have imposter syndrome when I go to rope jams and such, but I really love the community of kinksters. Is it OK to go to kinky events even if I have trouble identifying my kinks?

So long as you’re respectful — so long as you aren’t gawking or taking photos without permission or making shocked faces — you’re more than welcome at most big kink events. Sometimes the hosts of smaller and more intimate play parties have rules that would preclude the attendance of someone who had no kinks of their own or had yet to identify their kinks; at smaller parties the host might want everyone to be in a certain kind of gear or interested in a certain kind of play. If you’re wondering if you’re welcome to observe the play at a particular rope jam or event, email the organizers and ask.

Hey, Dan: I’ve got a friend who wanted to do pet-play and talked about being a cow and bought breast pumps to try and start lactation. Have you any advice on how to safely support her in this? I’m potentially open to play with her, if it’s safe, and I’m curious about her even being able to start lactation.

Do people keep cows as pets?

Regardless, according to the La Leche League, regular use of a breast pump can “induce lactation,” which is “the official term for making milk without pregnancy and birth.” So the sooner your friend gets started with that pump, the sooner she can pretend to be your sexy, sexy pet cow.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us for the livestream, and we’re going to schedule another one very soon!

mail@savagelove.net t@fakedansavage www.savagelovecast.com

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| clevescene.com | March 24-April 6, 2021