The Devil Strip | October 2021 | Digital Edition

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October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10 · thedevilstrip.com

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

a sweet return PAGE 13

Remembering Rich Swirsky PAGE 18

Hello, LeeAngelo!

PAGE 33

You

A R A D I O S TAT I O N A S UNIQUE AS YOU ARE, POWERED BY MUSIC, COMMUNITY &

L I S T E N O N - A I R , O N L I N E AT T H E S U M M I T. F M O R D O W N L O A D T H E S U M M I T A P P

IN THIS ISSUE 6 DEVIL’S DOZEN RETURNS! Summit Artspace 140 East Market Street Akron, Ohio 44308 Board of Directors: Rita Kelly Madick, Sharetta Howze, Emily Dressler, Michael Gintert, Richelle Wardell, Marc Lee Shannon, Katie Robbins, Frank Varca, Kally Mavromatis directors@thedevilstrip.com

8 DEVIL’S DISPORT

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10 LEBRON MURAL REBOUND 13 A SWEET WELCOME BACK 13 OH SNAP! TIME FOR A SELFIE! 14 NEW AKRON ART GALLERY 15 K INKY BOOTS STRUTS AT WEATHERVANE 17 LIFE IS A CABARET

Founder: Chris Horne

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Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Holbrook holbrook@thedevilstrip.com Membership Director: Jessica Goldbourn jessica@thedevilstrip.com Client Services Director: Anna Adelman anna@thedevilstrip.com Public Health Reporter: H.L. Comeriato HL@thedevilstrip.com Economic Development Reporter: Abbey Marshall abbey@thedevilstrip.com Digital Audience Manager: Sonia Potter sonia@thedevilstrip.com Client Services Assistant: Allyson Smith allyson@thedevilstrip.com Distribution Manager: Derek Kreider derek@thedevilstrip.com Layout & Design: Jenn Shaw Copy Editors: Megan Combs, Dave Daly, Emily Dressler and Sonia Potter Freelance Contributors: Emily Anderson, Angie Agnoni, Abbey Bashor, Martha Belden, Nahla Bendefaa, Julie Ciotola, Kyle Cochrun, Jeff Davis, Nic deCourville, Megan Delong, Emily Dressler, Ken Evans, Charlotte Gintert, Aja Hannah, Charlee Harris, Zinga Hart, Jillian Holness, Todd Jakubisin, Dani Jauk, Jamie Keaton, Diane Pitz Kilivris, Laura Lakins, Marissa Marangoni, Sandy Maxwell, Brandon Meola, Vanessa Michelle, Yoly Miller, Melanie Mohler, Brittany Nader, John Nicholas, Brynne Olsen, Susan Pappas, Ilenia Pezzaniti, Michael Roberts, Arrye Rosser, Mark Schweitzer, Marc Lee Shannon, Teresa Sroka, Karla Tipton, Paul Treen, Steve Van Auken, Jim Woods and Fran Wilson.

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

18 REMEMBERING RICH SWIRSKY 21 BACK TO SCHOOL BALANCING ACT 23 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 26 NEW PROGRAM COULD COMBAT EVICTION 27 EXPLORING FIRESTONE METRO PARK 28 DOWN BELOW THE STREET 29 LAST FRANCHISE STANDING 30 H IGHLAND SQUARE MAINSTAY RETIRES

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31 LELE’S TAKES ROOT 32 THE TROUBLE WITH OLD PEOPLE

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TDS announcement

Last year, The Devil Strip became the country’s first community-owned local news co-op. We are owned collectively by over 1,000 local members, staff and supporters, and we’re continuing to grow.

Now that we are established and moving in a positive direction, our original founder, Chris Horne, is taking a sabbatical.

Because TDS is run by a dedicated staff and board of directors, fundamentally nothing will change.

We are even more devoted to Akron and its residents than we ever were, and we will continue our mission to make Akron a better, stronger community for everyone.

To contact our board of directors, email directors@thedevilstrip.com.

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

33 Y OUR FAVORITE PIZZA SHOP REBRANDS 34 NEW DOWNTOWN PIZZA JOINT 35 MARC TAKES ANOTHER TURN 36 V INTAGE STRUCTURES: GERMAN AMERICAN HALL 37 WHAT’S IN THE CARDS AND STARS 38 U RINELUCK VS. THE BATHROOM KEY

Want to help make The Devil Strip?

Write to holbrook@thedevilstrip.com.

Find us online: www.thedevilstrip.com Facebook: facebook.com/thedevilstrip Twitter: @akrondevilstrip Instagram: @thedevilstrip

Our Mission The Devil Strip exists to help more people care more about Akron and all its residents. That’s why we’re building a community of Akronites committed to making this a better place to live by connecting you to your neighbors, our city and a stronger sense of shared purpose through stories and meet-ups that showcase the folks who make this place so unique.

The Devil Strip is published monthly by the Board of Directors of The Devil Strip Local News Cooperative. Distribution: The Devil Strip is available free of charge. Copyright: The entire contents of The Devil Strip are copyright 2021 by The Devil Strip Local News Cooperative.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials or other content. All editorial, advertising and business correspondence should be sent to the addresses listed above.

The Devil Strip

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FALL EXHIBITIONS October 8 - December 18 19th Annual

Kaleidoscope Juried Exhibition

Babe…

I Thought

Meryl Engler

Women’s Art League

Fall Member Exhibition

Kent State Print Media

TinkeRings

Kristina Malcolm

Public Hours Fridays 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Saturdays 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

140 E Market Street Akron OH 44308 330-376-8480 summitartspace.org

THIS ADVERTISEMENT HAS BEEN PURCHASED THROUGH A GENEROUS GIFT FROM THE REPUBLIC SERVICES FOUNDATION

EMILY DAVIS GALLERY Open to the public weekdays from 10am–5:00pm

MATERIAL RECKONING POINTS OF DISTINCTION • Integrated Art+Design undergraduate school where students and faculty work across disciplines.

• High job and grad school placement rates.

• 12:1 average class size.

• Stellar visiting artists, residencies and lecture series.

OFFERING DEGREES IN BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (BFA) • Ceramics • Graphic Design • Jewelry & Metalsmithing

• Painting/ Drawing • Photography • Printmaking • Sculpture

BACHELOR OF ARTS (BA) • Art Education • Studio Art

Featuring the work of Rina Dweck, Sheila Pepe, Jamele Wright Sr., and Lauren Yeager.

Reception: Thurs. October 14, 2021, 5:00pm–7:00pm October 11‒November 26, 2021

PUBLIC LECTURES SHEILA PEPE

Pepe’s large-scale ephemeral installations and sculpture made from domestic and industrial materials use feminist and craft traditions to challenge how we see the production of art and the role of institutions.

October 5, 2021 | 6:00pm | Folk Hall, room 165

STACY LEVY

PORTFOLIO DAY & OPEN HOUSE • Scholarships available for incoming students through our Portfolio Day & Open House.

• High School Juniors & Seniors are invited to sign up for a portfolio review on Saturday, November 6 or Saturday, February 26 from 12:00-3:00pm.

• Learn more and register: uakron.edu/art/portfolioday.

Using sculpture as a vehicle for translating the patterns and processes of the natural world, Levy reveals the ecological story of our built environment.

November 4, 2021 | 6:00pm | Folk Hall, room 165

MADE AT MYERS SHOP Located inside the Emily Davis Gallery, featuring works of students, alumni, and faculty. Open to the public weekdays from 10am–5:00pm.

FOLK HALL | 150 E. EXCHANGE STREET | AKRON, OH 44325-7801 330.972.6030 | UA.ART@UAKRON.EDU | WWW.UAKRON.EDU/ART @MYERSSCHOOLOFART

@MYERSSCHOOLOFART THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON IS AN EQUAL EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT INSTITUTION UAKRON.EDU/EEO

M I

A g w I T m p a o w j t

I l a b i a

S a a o m I

Journalism about akron

By AKronites

Editors Note

My job description in a nutshell?

I sell things.

Ask any salesperson how often we get an eyeroll or are scoffed at when we say we’re “in sales.” That’s cool.

I’m used to defending my occupation.

There are a lot of salespeople that rub me the wrong way, too — aggressive people who won’t take “no” for an answer. They’re out there, and most of us run the other way (literally) when we see them coming. It’s not a judgement; folks do all sorts of things to earn a living.

I’ve never had a sales job where I lived and died by the sale. Those folks are beasts and I admire their tenacity, but I love selling things in a not-sointense way. I love to promote ideas and services I believe in.

Sponsored content and advertorials aren’t something we’ve ever done at The Devil Strip. We never want our content to be influenced by how much money an advertiser gives us.

It keeps us honest, and our readers

demand that from us. It’s against our religion to mix the two — we’re very clear about it and that won’t change.

employer’s? Did I assure you that I’d give you the best rates and the most excellent customer service possible?

Our readers know we give away our content both in print and online.

Free. We like it that way and we don’t want to stop.

Maybe you’re not ready or able to buy ads right now. That’s okay! Did I make a friend? Did I engage someone enough to become a new reader, or to sign up for our free digital newsletter?

As a sales person, I want to know I’m doing honest work and contributing to my household and family. When a prospective client inquires about ads, I’m on it. Excellent customer service goes hand in hand with being a “successful” salesperson, which I don’t define by how large the sale is or by how much money I make.

I’m salaried and don’t work on commission. Never have. Never will.

I measure success by these things: Did I answer all your questions accurately and timely? Do you understand our products and services so you can make an informed decision about how to spend your money — whether it be out of the pocket of your own small business or your

What we believe: STORIES MATTER. We believe the most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves about ourselves, and that this is as true for cities as it is for individuals. For better or worse, every city’s chief storyteller is its media. We take responsibility for our work because we know it shapes the way Akronites see each other, and the way we see each other influences how we treat one another.

OUR WORK IS FOR AKRON. This is our reason for existing, not merely our editorial angle for stories. We are advocates for the city of Akron and allies to its people, so we may be cheerleaders, but that won’t keep us from challenging the city’s flaws. What’s the point of being part of the community if we can’t help make it a better place to live?

OUR WORK SHOULD BE DONE WITH AKRON. We would rather build trust through cooperation and collaboration than authority. Our place in the community is alongside it, not standing outside looking in or standing above it looking down.

WE CARE ABOUT YOU, NOT JUST YOUR EYEBALLS. Sometimes, we love a good fight with the status quo. But conflict and antagonism will never be a way of life for us, especially not to boost clicks, views, comments, shares and “eyeballs.” We are watchdogs to hold our leaders accountable, not to keep the neighbors up all night with our barking.

WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS. Our stories humanize the people in our city. We not only want to counter sensationalized and alarmist reporting but to eventually render it obsolete. We advocate for

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

Did I encourage you to contact our social media manager with events or news so they can, if space allows, appear for free in the magazine or newsletter?

While we’ve never offered sponsored content, I get asked if we would, or could, or maybe someday could a lot.

Starting this month, the answer is yes. Our advertisers want it, and we lose out if we can’t find a way to provide it. For more than a year, we’ve been refining this idea as well as developing our newly launched Community Partnership Program.

justice, freedom and equality because those qualities make this city, and our lives, better.

JOURNALISM SHOULD LIVE BEYOND THE PAGE. Information without context or connection is inert. We believe journalism can connect people to each other, our city and even a sense of purpose. Though our work begins on the page, both printed and web, we promote and plan events so people can meet faceto-face where real life still happens.

PEOPLE OVER PROFITS. The local businesses, nonprofits and civic organizations who support The Devil Strip are part of our community and are as vital to our culture as our artists and musicians. That’s why we don’t accept ads for national chains, things in large metros outside Summit County or businesses that profit from the exploitation of women.

We are not a coat hanger for advertising.

WE GET ONE SHOT AT LIFE, SO LET’S

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

We need fresh revenue streams if we’re going to keep the lights on.

We have to pay our fantastic staff competitively. We want them to stay and work for us, for our mission, and not be faced with giving up a job they love because it doesn’t pay the bills. It’s that simple.

But listen, we promise you will always know the difference between our editorial content and our sponsored content. We promise we still believe as strongly as we ever did in keeping our advertising honest, and that we’ll continue to refuse ads that don’t align with our mission and values.

We promise we won’t water down the essence of who and what we are.

We promise.

-Anna Adelman, Director of Client Services Reach Anna at anna@thedevilstrip.com.

HAVE FUN. We want our readers to fall in love with Akron (again and again and again), to buck the temptation to only live vicariously through the people they follow online. One thing that makes art, dance, theatre, music, film, food, civic engagement, biking, hiking, and public space so great is that all these things can bring us together, helping us find new friends and have fun with the ones we already have. That makes us all a little happier. That’s what it’s all about.

What is a devil strip?

The “devil strip” is the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. The precise origins of the term are unknown, but it’s only used in Akron. Today, the devil strip is what connects residents to the city — its public space, its people and its challenges. The Devil Strip seeks to do the same thing.

The Devil Strip

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the Devil’s devil’s Dozen dozen Our picks for the 12 best choices you can make this month OCTOBER 9, 16, 23 & 30

Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow Howe Meadow, 4040 Riverview Rd. // 9 am - 12 pm // If you haven’t yet experienced the joy of visiting Countryside’s farmers’ market, do it this month! Located in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the scenic drive to the meadow is just as lovely as strolling from tent to tent of farmer, food producer, and artist.

Pick up fresh produce, humanely raised meats, cheese, baked goods, coffee, honey, hummus, dog treats, jams, soaps, live plants, and more.

It’s one of our favorite ways to spend Saturday morning. This event is free and open to the public.

Photo by Melanie Mohler

OCTOBER 9

pool during the homecoming pep rally. Who did it?! Participate in this ‘50s-themed mystery program, and while you’re at it, enjoy a threecourse dinner, soft drinks, and a cash bar, all of which are included in the price of the ticket. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online ahead of time. Be sure to book your entire party’s tickets at the same time to ensure you sit together!

OCTOBER 13

Rediscover Downtown Walking Tour Meet at Huntington Bank, 106 S Main St. // 12 - 1 pm // Join Downtown Akron Partnership for a walking tour of Main Street’s public art, development projects, businesses, and more. With all the recent work that’s been done on Main Street, there is so much to discover.

Combined with the restorative powers of fresh October air, we think a walking tour of downtown is the perfect way to spend your Wednesday lunch hour. This event is free and open to the public.

Akron Stories | Public Dedication Ceremony

OCTOBER 13

Rubber Worker Statue, northeast corner of Main & Mill St. // 10 am – 2 pm // If you’ve been downtown recently, you’ve probably seen the Rubber Worker Statue that was recently erected as part of Art x Love’s Akron Stories Project. Stop by on this Saturday morning for a dedication ceremony followed by a VIP reception in the Akron-Summit County Public Library with sculptor Alan Cottrill and authors David Giffels and Steve Love.

The outdoor dedication ceremony is free, but tickets to the VIP reception are $25 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

Nauti Vine Winery, 3950 S Main St. // 6 - 8 pm // Paint & sip events are all the rage right now, so why not lean into the craze by painting a framed window with the Sanderson Sisters from the classic Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus?! We think you’ll enjoy Nauti Vine’s wine, too. Tickets for this event are $43 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 10 & 31

The Mystery of the Class of ‘57 Spaghetti Warehouse, 510 S Main St. // 6 – 9:30 pm // If you’re a fan of live-action comic mysteries, this event is for you. The premise: The school’s star quarterback has been found dead at the bottom of the

6 | The Devil Strip

Hocus Pocus Paint & Sip

OCTOBER 15

Sweetest Day ‘70s Costume Party Social 8, 1800 Merriman Rd. // 8 pm – midnight // Head down to the Valley for a ‘70s-themed costume party to celebrate Sweetest Day. Dance to the music with DJ Chaka and enjoy everything Social 8 has to offer. Don’t forget to bring your sweetie with you! This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 17

OCTOBER 30

Fall Flowers and Foliage

Trash-n-Treat Canal Cleanup

Cascade Valley Metro Park, Valley View Area // 9 – 10:30 am // The Valley View Area at Cascade Valley Metro Park opened to the public at the end of August. The 200-acre area used to be a golf course, but is now a stunning sprawl of wetlands, meadows, trees, and river. At this event, join a Summit Metro Parks naturalist for a morning of admiring autumn’s beauty and discovering what exactly triggers the change of color in our flowers and foliage. This event is free and open to the public.

Summit Lake Trailhead, 380 W Crosier St. // 9 am – 12 pm // Put on your costume and grab a pair of gloves for this event hosted by the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition!

Volunteers will work along the canal E at Summit Lake to clean up the W I public spaces and waterways. All tools will be provided, and Halloween M costumes are encouraged. This event C is free and open to the public.

S L o s d D t h f c Sandy Maxwell. c t

OCTOBER 21

The Akron Roundtable | Mass Immigration vs. Modern Society Quaker Station on the University of Akron’s campus // 12 pm // Head to Quaker Station for this month’s Akron Roundtable luncheon. This month, Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, will be speaking about the upsides and downsides of mass immigration in modern America. This event is the second part of Akron Roundtable’s Point/Counterpoint series, which aims to foster community dialogue around important topics in order to build relationships. Tickets to attend in person are $25, and tickets to attend virtually are $10. Both can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 29

Akron Charity Ball | One Last Hurrah!

The Tangier, 532 W Market St. // 8 pm – midnight // Akron Charity Ball began as Halloween Charity Ball in 2003 to raise money for local nonprofit organizations. After 18 years, they’re celebrating their final event and all the great memories they’ve made over the years. This year, the ball will benefit Crafty Mart and Limitless Ambition. Don your Halloween costume and be prepared to dance the night away. Tickets are $60 for general admission and $100 for VIP admission, and both can be purchased online ahead of time.

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

OCTOBER 31

Boos & Brews with Akronym Brewing

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Akronym Brewing, 58 E Market St. // 11 am – 10 pm // Spend your P 3 Halloween at this family-friendly N event downtown! The day begins c with brunch in the taproom from P 11 to 1, followed by a kid-friendly costume party from noon to 3. There e a will be pumpkin painting, trick-ors treating, and goodie bags! From 7 to 10, adults are welcome to come t dressed in costume to enjoy cocktails, beer, and a costume contest. This O event is free and open to the public. W

B M Nightmare on Front Street W Downtown Cuyahoga Falls Pavilion, n e 2085 Front St. // 12 – 5 pm // t Nightmare on Front Street is the c inaugural fundraising event that benefits Downtown Cuyahoga Falls 3 T Partnership. Head downtown for p this five-hour beer and art festival, featuring local breweries, live music, vendors, food trucks, Halloween O costume contests, and more. Tickets 3 are $30 - $35 and include 10 beer H tickets and a keepsake tasting cup.

O Purchase tickets online ahead of time.

T R B OCTOBER 31

thedevilstrip.com

there’s nothing to do in akron The Devil Strip’s comprehensive monthly argument that there’s plenty of fun to be had in Akron

EVERY SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND THURSDAY IN OCTOBER

Mixology 101 Bartending Certification Course

ShakeNSip, 1300 Weathervane Lane, Suite 221 // Times vary, see online for details // Looking to try something new? Consider this twoday bartending certification course.

Day one will feature lessons on terminology, techniques, equipment, health, and safety; and day two will feature hands-on experience creating cocktails! Tickets are $50 - $200 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

associated with the occult and spirituality. Tickets are $25 - $80 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 7 - 10

Ohio Mart

OCTOBER 11

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens // 10 am - 5 pm // Stop by Stan Hywet to peruse this show of arts and crafts and enjoy the autumn weather on the beautiful grounds of the house.

Tickets for entry are $4 - $16 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

Dragonfly Wine Bottle Paint & Sip

Open Mic Comedy Night

Polish Legion of American Veterans, 383 Dayton St. // 7:30 pm // Funny Noize Productions hosts open mic comedy nights every week at the PLAV. Show up to perform, or simply enjoy the PLAV’s home-cooked food and drink specials along with the show. This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 13, 20 & 27

Workshop Wednesday

Bounce Innovation Hub, 526 South Main Street // 9 am – 5 pm // Every Wednesday, Bounce provides newcomers with introductions to new equipment and materials available in their workshop. In October, visitors can get acquainted with laser cutting, 3D printing, embroidery, and sewing.

This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 13, 20 & 27

3rd Annual Demystifying Halloween Halloween and the Occult Series

The Healing Brew, 1672 Merriman Rd. // 7 - 10 pm // Join The Healing Brew as they debunk myths typically

The Yoga Den, 3200 Greenwich Rd. // 7 - 9 pm // Head to the Yoga Den in Norton for an evening of guided painting on a wine bottle. Tickets are $44 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 8

The Ladies Night

OCTOBER 11, 18 & 25

with goats, chickens, and other animals. Children may attend this event for free. Adult tickets are $12 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 13

Jilly’s Music Room, 111 N Main St. // 8 pm // Head to Jilly’s for an evening of Northeast Ohio’s all-male tribute to the music of pop divas such as Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and more. Tickets are $5 - $10 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 9 & 16

Raku & Brew Don Drumm Studios & Gallery, 437 Crouse St. // One-and-a-half-hour increments, 10 am - 4:30 pm // Sip beer from Eighty-Three Brewery and Lock 15 Brewing Co. while glazing either a pre-made ceramic sun tile or sun vase. All pieces will be Raku fired on site and will be ready to go home at the end of the class. All materials will be provided. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 9

Keleman Point Farm Nature Walk Keleman Point Farm, 4570 Akron Peninsula Rd. // 3 - 5 pm, 5 - 7 pm, or 7 - 9 pm // Take a nature walk with master herbalist Bryan Peters of The Healing Brew. This annual walk features a tour of the farm, complete

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

ArtBabes Akron Art Museum, 1 S High St. // 10:30 - 11:30 am // Bring your babies (newborns - 24 months) to the Akron Art Museum for a morning of storytelling and sensoryfocused activities. This event is free for members and $15 for nonmembers. Tickets can be purchased online ahead of time; registration is required.

OCTOBER 14

Community Breakfast Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates, 1333 Home Ave. // 8 - 9 am // Attend this free, informative breakfast to meet staff and network with professionals and community leaders. This event is free.

OCTOBER 15

The Nighthawks Jilly’s Music Room, 111 N Main St. // 8 pm // Enjoy an evening of Blues and Roots Rock as The Nighthawks’ 50th anniversary approaches and they play at Jilly’s. The band is famous for their stunning four-part harmonies and legendary live shows. You won’t want to miss them! Tickets are $5 - $10 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 15

Sunflurry NOMZ, Northside Marketplace, 21 Furnace St. // 8 - 10 pm // Stop

by NOMZ for a night of music by Sunflurry (formerly The Two’s). This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 13

Bingo Night Fundraiser for AJ’s Search & Rescue

OCTOBER 16 - 17

Danny Boys, 10 Tallmadge Cir. // 6:30 - 9:30 pm // Help raise funds for AJ’s Search & Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization. This event will feature appetizers, soda, water, and 10 games of bingo.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

Full Grip Games, 15 N Broadway St. // 5 pm - 9 am // Full Grip Games has partnered with Gotham Gym

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

Halloween All-Nighter

Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow. Photo by Gary Kroggel

The Devil Strip

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and Savage MMA to create this Halloween-themed gaming allnighter. There will be table games, card games, and console games, as well as spooky movies and more.

Tickets are $15 - $35 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 18

Lessons of the Holocaust: Undeniable Stories of Survival Online // 4:30 - 6 pm // The AkronSummit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education presents keynote speaker Dr. Bradley Beach, PhD, for this virtual seminar. During

the seminar, information will be shared regarding the AkronSummit Holocaust & Genocide Arts & Writing Contest. This event is free and open to the public, and the event link can be found at AkronSummitHolocaustEducation.org.

OCTOBER 19

Seed Collection Drop In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Peninsula // 1 - 3:30 pm // Join CVNP for a seed collection drop in to help improve the natural habitat for plants and animals in the park. The seeds collected will be grown in the park’s native plant nursery. This event is free and open to the public, and is suitable for anyone ages 7 and up.

Register for this free event online ahead of time in order to have the location emailed to you.

OCTOBER 20

Discover Downtown Biking Tour The Richard Howe House, 47 W Exchange St. // 12 - 1 pm // Join Downtown Akron Partnership for a biking tour of Main Street, the Towpath, downtown businesses, and public art. This event is free and open to the public. If you need to borrow a bike, reserve one by emailing info@ downtownakron.com.

OCTOBER 21

Kinderealm: Fall Leaves F. A. Seiberling Nature Realm // 5:30 – 6:30 pm // Bring your children ages 3 to 6 for an exploration of autumn leaves with Summit Metro Parks.

This program includes a hike and a craft. This event is free, but advance registration is required by calling (330) 865-8065.

Halloween Charity Ball. Photos via Facebook.

8 | The Devil Strip

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

thedevilstrip.com

Downtown Akron. Shane Wynn via AkronStock

OCTOBER 22

OCTOBER 29

Rubix Groove with Blackcat Roberts & Glass

Halloween Party with the Scenic Route

Musica, 51 E Market St. // 7 pm // Head to Musica for an evening of music. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

Jilly’s Music Room, 111 N Main St. // 8 pm - midnight // Celebrate Halloween with indie, pop, and rock originals and covers by the Scenic Route. Tickets are $5 - $10 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 27

Witch Shoes Paint & Sip Nauti Vine Winery, 3950 S Main St. //6 - 8 pm // Get in the Halloween spirit with this holiday-themed guided canvas-painting session. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 28

Invasive Plant Removal Drop In Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Peninsula // 1 - 3:30 pm // Help remove invasive plants from the national park to improve the habitat for native plants and wildlife. This event is suitable for anyone ages 10 and up. Register for this free event online ahead of time to receive location details.

OCTOBER 30

Akron City Gospel Singers Community Event Session 3rd floor of Summit Artspace, 140 E Market St. // 12 - 1 pm // Relish the rich tradition of gospel song at this combined rehearsal/informal performance of the Akron City Gospel Singers. The performance will be followed by community fellowship. This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 30

Drive-Thru Trunk-or-Treat Becoming a Light Ministries, 1316 Kentucky Ave. // 3 - 5 pm //Take your kids to Becoming a Light Ministries for an afternoon of trunk-or-treating in a safe environment. This event is free and open to the public.

OCTOBER 30

4th Annual Halloween Bar Crawl Taps Akron, 370 Paul Williams St // 4 pm – midnight // Crawl With Us presents the biggest bar crawl of the year. Be sure to enter the Halloween costume contest for a chance to win $1,000! Tickets are $12.50 - $15 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 30

A Fatal Kiss Murder Mystery Dinner Ohio Brewing Company, 2250 Front St. // 7 pm // This event begins with a cabaret performance, followed by

a buffet dinner and then a mystery you’ll have the chance to solve. The mystery is set in the 1920s, so be sure to dress the part! Tickets are $64 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

OCTOBER 30

Spooktacular Halloween Bash Interbelt Nite Club, 70 N Howard St. // 9 pm - 2:30 am // This drag show will be hosted by Alejandra J. Love and will feature special guest Aiden Zhane from Rupaul’s Drag Race. Be sure to wear a Halloween costume for a chance at a $500 cash prize!

Tickets are $15 - $25 and can be purchased online ahead of time.

believed in me,” Slater, a child of adoption, said. “If it weren’t for Miss (Laura) Addis (at Copley High School), I wouldn’t be painting right now. I didn’t have family behind me and they’d never come to my art shows, but she was always there supporting me.”

Now, she wants to make art a fulltime career. She dreams of sprucing up various spots around town, such as painting the Hawkins basketball court in West Akron, and opening her own studio. This mural was a springboard to get more visibility to do so.

Artist gets a new job from the LeBron James Family Foundation after mural was vandalized

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF WRITER PHOTOS BY ABBEY MARSHALL

J

ust across the street from LeBron James’s I Promise School, Chardae Slater works on a passion project of her own.

The 24-year-old artist spent more than a month painting a mural along the blank wall connecting the liquor store and smoke shop on the corner of West Market and West North streets, meticulously sketching and painting a hyper realistic image of LeBron James gripping a basketball between his palms surrounded by various Looney Tunes characters sporting jerseys in an homage to the Space Jam reboot released in July.

After painstakingly long sessions painting through summer heatwaves in West Hill, Slater was devastated when her mural — the first one she ever painted — was vandalized in late July, less than a week after it was completed.

“Of course I was pissed,” she said, looking up at her work, defaced with a bright red clown nose over James’ face and the words “LA FLOP,” likely a reference to critic's assertion that

10 | The Devil Strip

James "flops" or exaggerates contact from other players to try to get referees to call fouls. “I took my time on this. How could you? Why would someone do that?”

She said she half expected it; between James’s outspoken politics and the love/hate relationship the city has with him after he left the Cleveland Cavaliers twice, she thought it was inevitable someone would destroy her artwork.

Now, several weeks after the vandal tagged the mural, she’s back with a paintbrush in her hand and a renewed sense of optimism. She raised over $300 from crowd sourcing on GoFundMe for supplies, but she wasn’t expecting what came next.

“After it got vandalized, the (LeBron James Family) Foundation reached out to me and said, ‘Hey we saw your mural, we’re sorry it got vandalized, but we’re all about turning lemons into lemonades. We’d love to work with you,” she said.

Slater first made an impression on the James family when Gloria James, LeBron’s mother, approached her on West Market Street where she

was painting the mural. LeBron later reposted the completed mural on Facebook.

“They’ve been awesome,” she said.

The foundation has since commissioned Slater for a new mural at their office at the University of Akron.

“I’m really excited because even though this bad thing happened, I believe in my work and the process and it opened this door to do another mural,” she said.

Collaborating with the foundation, which primarily works with families of children enrolled at the I Promise School, is a full circle moment for Slater, who was first inspired to pursue her artwork by her art teachers in high school.

“My inspiration is like my different struggles and the things I’ve been through, you know, like not knowing what you’re going to eat tomorrow,” she said. “When you’re really at your lowest, the bottom of the bottom and you’re just looking for a way out, you find something you love and you take it and push yourself through it.”

She hopes to plant even just a seed of that creative inspiration with the children she meets or works with through the LeBron James Family Foundation.

“For the most part, I’m self taught, but I do have to give credit to my teachers throughout high school that

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

“I didn’t feel like my work was getting enough eyes on it,” she said.

“I’ve painted many large scale works, and I just felt like sometimes you have to do things that catch attention.

What would be a better time than now to paint LeBron and Space Jam? He’s never had a mural here before, and the I Promise School is right there. I wanted to do something for the kids and something to spread peace in the neighborhood.”

Slater launched the project on her own, getting permission from the liquor store and pooling her savings to purchase paint and supplies on her own with some support from pandemic relief funds. For a project of this size, she estimates the project cost more than $5,000 — making it all the more devastating when it was vandalized.

“I spent the money I was going to use to go back to college this semester,” said Slater, who was attending Kent State for a bachelor in fine arts. “I’m probably not going to go because I spent my money on this.

It was just really important to me.”

But she is determined to not let anyone steal her optimism as she leans over her step stool to paint over the red tag. This time, she is sealing it with an anti-graffiti coat.

“I have a lot of dreams, and I’m so excited,” Slater said. “When you put yourself out there, you never know.

Doors start opening for sure. I trust something good would come from this bad, and it did. I’m so grateful.”

Follow Chardae Slater on Instagram @itschardae.

Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.

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Sweet Mary’s Bakery welcomes back Akron, remodels downtown storefront

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER In the days leading up to the reopening of Sweet Mary’s Bakery, the downtown shop smells aromatic of breakfast food as the staff prepares cheddar and bacon biscuits, a fan favorite developed from the owner’s mother’s recipe.

For the first time in a year and a half, the downtown mainstay is reopening its storefront with new operating hours and tasty additions.

Sweet Mary’s, which first opened in 2015 and has quickly become a beloved bakery for many Akronites, closed their doors for the pandemic just hours before Gov. Mike DeWine’s mandate that Ohio restaurants operate carry-out only in March 2020.

Like every small business owner, Mary Hospodarsky had to pivot. Instead of maintaining normal operating hours, she created a special menu for

various occasions, including major holidays such as Christmas and Easter, but also celebrations such as Bastille Day, offering up themed pastries for customers to purchase online.

About once a month, Akronites had the opportunity to order pastries for pickup — if they were quick enough.

Oftentimes, the most coveted items were sold out within minutes.

Packed into 6,300 square feet in a Downtown suite, Akronites can waltz into a fantastical world packed with a dreamy mirage of honey-lit clouds, primp in front of a glitzy pink vanity, deliver a newscast from behind an anchor’s desk, pose on a dramatic wingback chair adorned with flowers and play in the shadow of kaleidoscopic images projected on a wall.

These experiences, among the more than 30 unique photo opportunities in the space, are a part of the new Oh Snap Photo Lab in Suite 509 at 209 S. Main St. Though Oh Snap’s creator Tiffany Roper doesn’t consider herself an artist or photographer, the entrepreneur now curates her own photography lab packed with micro studios, art installations and murals, which opened Sept. 25.

Though the bakery is now open for fewer days — Thursday through Sunday instead of Tuesday through Sunday — new extended hours now allow patrons to enjoy a treat from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I was shocked by how much support we got,” Hospodarsky said. “Our sales during the pandemic were actually better than day to day. We even added new customers who never came in before the pandemic.”

The dining room that made up a majority of the bakery is no more.

Hospodarsky said it was not very profitable and was usually empty during the week, so she renovated and nearly tripled their kitchen space, making way for new equipment and more space for employees.

Looking ahead to the upcoming holiday season, which is typically Sweet Mary’s busiest time, Hospodarsky decided it was time to bring Akron back into her store.

There are also some exciting additions: an espresso machine and a dough sheeter, which will increase production of laminated pastries such as croissants and danishes.

They started with a soft launch the weekend of the Akron Marathon, which had a start line just blocks from the bakery. The grand reopening is

“A lot of changes we made are in the best interests of not just us, but the customers,” Hospodarsky said.

“During the pandemic, we were

Oh Snap Photo Lab founder wants to offer a safe, creative outlet for youth Downtown

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER PHOTOS BY ABBEY MARSHALL

Friday, Oct. 1, with some big changes.

Roper, a licensed therapist who owns several other businesses, decided to create the selfie museum to offer a fun, unique experience in the city. A mother of two children, she said she wants to specifically target Akron’s youth.

“Anymore in Akron, what do they have to do that’s entertaining?”

Roper said. “There’s no skating rinks anymore, there’s no arcades. But they always have their phones with them.

They love recording, making TikToks and videos, and I thought, ‘What if we had a really cool space where they could have a creative outlet?’”

She worked with Downtown Akron Partnership to secure the fifth floor Main Street suite. She wanted to pick a central location near the University of Akron where people from surrounding neighborhoods felt like they had a stake in what was happening in the area.

“I think Downtown Akron is going to become the hub of our city like

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able to cut down a lot on our food waste and expenses to see what was working and what wasn’t. Everything that’s different now is in the name of quality and being better at what we’re doing.”

Sweet Mary’s will have all their classic favorites back in their pastry case, but they plan to continue experimenting the way they did during the pandemic with rotating items.

“It’s nice to not only welcome people back in, but also see people who became customers during all this for the first time inside,” she said.

“We’re very grateful for Akron and the support they’ve given us, because we plan on being here for a while, pandemic or not.”

Sweet Mary’s reopens Oct. 1.

Operating hours are from Thursday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entire staff is vaccinated, and masks are required to enter.

Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.

it used to be,” Roper said. “There’s so many great people around Akron to turn this into the center of arts, culture and business. I’m seeing that unfold before my eyes and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

mobile detailing company, last month.

Roper also started Eat Speak Love, a company dedicated to uplifting female and minority entrepreneurs, last year and launched its SmallBig subscription boxes last spring.

She secured the space in June and quickly got to work commissioning artists across Northeast Ohio to decorate the walls and rooms. She is the first minority woman to lease within the building.

“The pandemic really gave us the opportunity and the time and the flexibility to pour into ourselves,” Roper said. “Being a serial entrepreneur has opened my eyes not only to what’s possible, but how we can help each other as entrepreneurs.”

“For the kids in our community and my own children to see that is really impactful,” Roper said.

In addition to the selfie sets, there is a private event space that includes 10 guests’ admission to the photo lab.

Roper calls it the Emerald Lounge, a dark green room lush with foliage, plants and soft lighting, complete with a custom-made bar and private bartender on staff. It also has a unique view overlooking Lock 3.

Oh Snap photo lab is open at Suite 509 at 209 S. Main St. Tickets are available at www.ohsnapphotolab.com.

Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.

Roper has had a busy year: she opened three Akronbased businesses — all during the pandemic. In addition to Oh Snap, she and her husband also started First Time Shine, a

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

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Sekoya Kendrick, owner of 1474 Art Inc, at her gallery in North West Akron

She also wants to build relationships with other businesses in the art world and beyond.

“I want as many people to know about my space as possible, and know how they can use this space.

I want to partner with as many art organizations as I can to see how we can actually help each other.”

When it comes to the value of having physical spaces dedicated to art, Kendrick is reminded of how grounding in-person galleries can be.

1474 Art Inc. Offers Akron a New Space to Appreciate Art BY: ABBEY BASHOR FOR TDS

O

ne morning, when Sekoya Kendrick was in high school, a friend sketched her a drawing.

Kendrick sold the sketch for $25 by lunch.

She told her friend that she would split the profit with him and he jokingly replied that she could sell anything.

“I wish I would’ve known back then that that was what I was supposed to be doing all along,” she says.

Kendrick spent several years working in sales and marketing before making the decision to open her own online art gallery in 2018. She named her business 1474 Art Inc., which symbolizes important numbers in Kendrick’s life. “14” is the year that she first came up with her artistic vision and “74” is a tribute to the birth year of her late brother, who inspired her to follow her dreams.

Having loved creative expression from a young age, she recalls the relief that art would bring to her during typical 9 to 5 jobs. “On a lunch break or over the weekend, I would always go to a museum and that would be therapeutic for me,” she says.

Kendrick’s love of travel inspired her to open a gallery online so that she could continue to meet artists wherever she went without needing to stay put in one place. She would seek out and work with five to seven artists at a time, helping them

14 | The Devil Strip

determine their marketing needs and providing an online space to showcase their work.

As she continued to build an online presence, Kendrick also began hosting art exhibits at different venues in the Akron community.

Attendees and friends would rave about her events and ask her when the next one would be. She realized that she could save on expenses by having her own space.

Kendrick soon came across an available space at 1947 West Market St., which is home to other businesses including South Point Tavern and Niko’s Sandwich Board.

She remembers loving the area and realizing that the traffic would be great for bringing in visitors. After working out a deal, she began renovations to match the vision of her gallery.

“I think getting this brick and mortar was what I needed to get me where I wanted to be,” she says.

To fill the space with artists, she translated much of the work she did with her online gallery over to the physical gallery.

“My job is to basically seek out artists, find their niche and what they’re missing in their career,” she explains. “I help them find their target market, set up their personal art exhibits, their pricing, you name it. And every contract with each of my artists is custom because one artist might not need the same thing

as another artist.”

With the gallery space, artists can use the venue to create and host private showings while Kendrick will promote their work at other art events and among her portfolio of clientele. “I do a lot of the back-end work. I tell them their goal is to just be creative.”

Kendrick meets many of the artists she works with through networking and word of mouth. “I’m always looking for artists,” she says.

“Whether I’m on social media or at an event, [searching for artists] keeps me inspired and helps me find my clients. Art is my passion, so it’s fun to do.”

1474 currently has 10 different local and national artists displaying their work. Kendrick says she is always trying to build her portfolio with more local artists, who she’ll often meet by chance. She even met one of her current clients while sitting at the bar at Ken Stewart’s Grille.

“I’m big on relationship building,” she says.

“I set my mission around that.

I want my artists to feel comfortable and know that I’m actually here for them.”

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“In modern times, social media has taken a sweep of everything, and it’s always good to go back to your roots,” she says. “With an actual gallery or museum, it brings you back to square one. It lets you see [the art], feel it and create an understanding.”

Bringing art awareness to the Akron community is something that Kendrick hopes to do with 1474.

She says that she’s proud of the progression that art has made in Akron, pointing to the murals that cover the downtown area and the work displayed at The East End. “So much of our community is creative and has some type of artistic value,” she says. “I think this is a perfect time for artists and curators to make our city pop.”

Kendrick hopes that at the very least, her gallery and the art within it can provide a sense of relief.

“Everything else is so chaotic all the time. Art is supposed to be a breath of fresh air. I wanted to bring that to as many people as possible.”

To learn more about 1474 Art Inc. or to connect with Sekoya Kendrick, visit www.1474artinc.com.

Abbey Bashor is a freelance writer in Akron.

The gallery at 1474 Art Inc at at 1947 West Market St. in North West Akron

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the first few weeks meeting for Zoom rehearsals while there was still “hope in the air,” but ultimately, that hope became devastation when they realized live theater would be on indefinite hold.

Now, nearly a year and a half later, the show must go on.

Jonathan Merechant (Angel), Billy Cummins (Angel), The cast of Kinky Boots

Weathervane’s “Kinky Boots” at last struts the stage — nearly a year and a half later

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WEATHERVANE PLAYHOUSE Anthony Woods-Mitchell recalls the first time he saw Kinky Boots on Broadway in 2017. In an off-theshoulder, red-jeweled cocktail dress, the drag performer commanded the stage, performing dazzling choreography and beckoning the audience into the “Land of Lola.”

This was months before WoodsMitchell became a performer, lighting up stages across Northeast Ohio, but seeing a Black man like himself perform such a bold and carefree role awakened a desire to perform. He wanted to be that same inspiration to other aspiring performers who looked like him.

“I told everyone that would listen: ‘Just watch. I’m going to be the first plus-sized Lola,’” said WoodsMitchell, a nursing assistant in Massillon. “As a thicker person, there aren’t too many roles for my size or being played by people my size. I think it’s so important I’m doing this because there may be people that see themselves in Lola, too, that feel the exact same way when it comes to representation.”

Woods-Mitchell’s dream of strapping on Lola’s heels is realized in Weathervane Playhouse’s fall production of Kinky Boots, opening Sept. 30.

Kinky Boots follows Charlie Price, a young man desperate to escape his family’s modest ambitions for him

in Northern England and chase a more exciting life in London with his fiancée. But when his father dies, he must take over the family’s struggling shoemaking business. He forms an unlikely friendship with Lola, a largerthan-life cabaret drag performer in need of a more sturdy heel, and he stumbles upon a niche market to rejuvenate business: stilettos tailored specifically for drag queens.

“We had to almost completely start over,” Pepe said. “We lost about a third of the cast, so we reauditioned and some people changed roles.

They had a new music director and new blocking and some set redesign for COVID precautions between performers and audiences. We were reteaching music most of the cast had already learned, but with some changed parts. It’s unlike any theatrical process I’ve ever been through.”

The cast and crew reconvened in July, preparing for Weathervane’s first show back since the pandemic began. The team even received a video message from Billy Porter, who won a Tony for originating the role of Lola on Broadway in 2013, wishing them good luck on opening night.

icon Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots is sure to be a delightful spectacle for Northeast Ohio theatre-goers.

“It’s just a fun show,” Pepe said. “But more importantly, it’s also about the message of the show. The world has been through such turbulence. We've had a lot of changes in the way we view equity, inclusivity, accessibility, changes in the way people identify since the theater doors closed. I’m excited we can celebrate being together again and delving into these issues together instead of separately in our own homes.”

Kinky Boots runs on weekends from Sept. 30 to Oct. 24. Tickets can be purchased at www. weathervaneplayhouse.com.

Weathervane requires masks and proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the performance.

Abbey Marshall is the economic development reporter for The Devil Strip via Report for America and a musical theater aficionado in her free time. Email her at abbey@ thedevilstrip.com to discuss any stage or movie musical, except Cats (2019).

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As the pair works to turn around Price & Sons, they find they have a lot more in common than they initially thought. Kinky Boots preaches a message of acceptance and individuality, juxtaposing seemingly diametrically opposite groups of flamboyant drag queens and smalltown traditionalists, who come to understand each other’s stories and identities throughout the show.

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“Something I want to portray to the audience is just loving yourself and loving others,” Woods-Mitchell said.

“Go through life unafraid to make different decisions from everyone else and stay authentic to yourself.”

For over a year, Woods-Mitchell and his colleagues feared they wouldn’t be able to share that message with audiences. In March 2020, just weeks before opening night, Weathervane Playhouse’s doors shuttered for the pandemic.

A significant amount of creative and financial investment had already been placed into the show, said Weathervane’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director Melanie Pepe, from custom stilettos to costume builds to set pieces. Woods-Mitchell recalls

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New BOOM! Theater company presents Cabaret with cast over 50 years old

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER As long as Tina Davis could recall, she was belting high notes, perfecting jazz squares and pas de bourrees and exchanging impassioned dialogue on stage. But the spotlight on her stage dimmed when she started a family and stopped performing.

“Usually in theater, you age out of roles,” Davis said. “I missed out on my prime years to play a lot of those characters I really wanted to play because I was raising my family.”

But now, the 53-year-old Cleveland native is stepping into the role of the young, decadent Berlin nightclub performer Sally Bowles in BOOM! Theater’s first ever production of Cabaret. The new Akron-based theater company has a cast and artistic team of Northeast Ohioans over the age of 50.

“It’s like a do-over,” said Davis, who works as a reimbursement business advisor for Botox Therapeutics by day. “The fact that you can embody these characters at any age is so refreshing.”

The Akron Civic incubates several theater groups, including high school productions and Millennial Theater Project’s shows for younger adults.

Launching a theater company for older Akronites seems like the next logical step, says Val Renner, Akron Civic’s associate director.

“We did a lot of research on a lot of older theater groups where the age range is 50 and up, and there’s not too many that exist,” Renner said.

“We thought, ‘Why not?’ It’s an underserved population.”

Of the more than 25 theater companies in Summit County, BOOM! is the first to work with the age demographic of 50 and up.

Cabaret features performers from ages 52 to 73. The creative team, including director, music director and choreographer, are also over 50.

ultimately putting them at odds in the era leading to the Third Reich.

Cabaret critiques apathy and denial in the face of totalitarianism. Even as the backdrop of the Nazi uprising comes increasingly to the forefront of the show, most of the characters are either in denial or too self-involved to intervene with the bigotry happening right before them.

“We selected Cabaret because it is really a sign of the times,” Renner said. “There are so many people in the dark and so many people who feel persecuted in this country.”

“There are so many talented people in this area over 50 who can lend their talent and experience to these productions,” Davis said. “I think this theater group will grow and be really inclusive, not just for age, but for different experience levels and for people to be able to find this new expression of their talents and who they are.”

The cast delivers a delightful take on show, with standout performances from Davis and Phil Formes, who plays the Emcee. The master of ceremonies beckons the audience into the nightclub with flamboyance and showmanship but also lurks omnipresent in some of the darker scenes, indicating danger to come.

Formes guides the audience across the story through song, his vibrato controlled and effortless, delivering some of the most lighthearted, entertaining moments in the show to some of the most chilling moments in the next breath.

Cabaret follows young American writer Cliff Bradshaw on a journey to Berlin in the years following World War I during the Weimar Republic period, which leads him to the seedy, downtrodden Kit Klub Klub, where he meets the cabaret’s shining star, Sally Bowles. Bowles, a Bohemian burlesque dancer who survives off her charm and beauty, couldn’t be more different than Bradshaw, a levelheaded, practical man who struggles with his sexuality and artistic identity.

Nevertheless, the two spark a friendship and romantic relationship,

Many know Cabaret from the 1972 film, which featured Liza Minnelli’s Academy Award-winning breakout performance. The film, which took creative liberties from the original musical, featured songs that were later added to the stage production.

Davis, who said Bowles was on her “bucket list” for characters she wanted to play, has not before seen the movie or a live production.

“It’s good because I’m not going in with any preconceived notions,” Davis said. “There’s not a sense of imitation; it’s my personal study of her.”

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October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

Davis’s Bowles commands the room, bringing the spotlight to herself in each scene. She overacts as she should, playing a character who herself is playing a character, but breaks with vulnerability when it counts. Davis’s performance of the titular song Cabaret in Act II is stirring and heartbreaking.

“She could put any 27-year-old on the floor,” Renner said Davis. “She’s a dynamite. I just want people to realize that you’re never too old to blossom.”

BOOM!’s production takes place on the Knight Stage, a newly open blackbox theater attached to the Akron Civic. The Knight Stage seats roughly 200 and provides an intimate setting between performers and audiences.

Unlike productions that run through the 2,500-seat Civic, the Knight Stage allows for minimal set production, but what it lacks in major production value, the cast makes up for in flair and memorable performances.

“Talent is talent,” Davis said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are.”

Cabaret runs at the Knight Stage on Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 24 to Oct. 9. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Civic’s box office.

Abbey Marshall is the economic development reporter for The Devil Strip via Report for America and a musical theater aficionado in her free time. Email her at abbey@ thedevilstrip.com to discuss any stage or movie musical, except “Cats” (2019).

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Swirsky was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, the son of a Jewish postal worker. He spent summers playing baseball on the dirt fields behind Boulevard Elementary and catching frogs and snakes in Cain Park, running home just long enough to clear his dinner plate.

Rich Swirsky, Rebecca Jenkins and their children, Sarah and David, photographed at Mustard Seed Market. (Photo by Shane Wynn)

‘One of the best’: the life and legacy of Ward 1 Councilmember Rich Swirsky

BY H.L. COMERIATO, TDS STAFF REPORTER PHOTOS BY SHANE WYNN AND H.L. COMERIATO

R

ich Swirsky knew a good thing when he saw one.

Especially when the good thing was simple: his family at the dinner table on an ordinary weeknight, the crack of a bat when the bases are loaded, the way a Dylan record sounds through the perfect set of speakers.

“He was really good at being present,” says Sarah, Swirsky’s oldest.

“Even before he got sick,” she adds.

“He would just soak it all in.”

patience, pride and a deep sense of personal responsibility.

Swirsky belonged not only to his wife and children, but to the larger world — to his community, his friends, his faith and his convictions.

On May 26, just before the milkweed bloomed, he died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in his own home, surrounded by family.

Four months later, those closest to him both grieve the loss of their father, husband, colleague and friend, and look to celebrate a life and legacy poised to long outlast a single generation.

‘He was just always there.’

On the front porch of his Highland Square home, Swirsky’s family looks out over a lawn planted with milkweed. He and his son, David, designed their devil strip to attract native pollinators and boost the neighborhood’s biodiversity.

“We’re along the Monarch migration trail,” says Rebecca Jenkins, Swirsky’s wife and partner of 35 years. “So this gives them a place to stop and rest.”

In 2013, Swirsky’s life as an educator, organizer, father, coach and public servant culminated in his campaign to represent Ward 1 as a member of Akron City Council.

He won the seat and represented Ward 1 residents for eight years with

18 | The Devil Strip

“One of the best things about Rich is how he loved his family,” says Swirsky’s friend and Ward 1 resident Karen Edwards.

As a student at Ohio University, he immersed himself in organizing.

He read Marx, studied Mao and joined the Attica Brigade — a radical student-led, antiimperialist organization.

In his time at OU, Swirsky developed a set of personal politics and beliefs rooted in social, economic and racial justice.

During his final semester, he and fellow student organizers lobbied the school’s administration to serve exclusively union-picked fruits and vegetables in the campus cafeteria.

The group even hosted iconic United Farm Workers of America organizer Cesar Chavez, who spoke on campus.

When School officials ruled against the change, organizers occupied an administrative building. Police arrived to make arrests, but Swirksy refused to leave.

Telling the story, his family shares a soft laugh of recognition: the spirit and conviction Swirsky possessed as a long-haired college student in the late 1970s remained with him for the rest of his life.

years later, at a street protest in Middlebury, he met Jenkins face to face for the first time.

Occasionally, Swirsky would tell his friend and Ward 1 constituent Karen Edwards the story: “He’d say, ‘Have I ever told you how I met Becky?’ And I’d say, ‘Yes, Rich. But you can go ahead and tell me again.’”

Swirsky and Jenkins put down roots in Akron, and Swirsky spent the next 20 years directing campaigns for Ohio Citizen Action. While raising a young family, he championed workers’ rights and campaigned in support of dozens of environmental causes, including the passage of the Superfund bill.

By the 1990s, he was back in school earning a Masters of Education, while teaching after-school nature classes to middle schoolers. As a teacher, coach and counsellor, he kept an eye on students who seemed to struggle.

When he was with young people, Swirsky was patient, attentive, funny and kind.

“He was a good listener,” David says. “He just knew how to relate to you and almost draw out what you needed to hear, or what you needed to get done… He was very intuitive.”

At home in Highland Square, Swirsky launched the city’s first recycling pilot program, and was instrumental in preventing Taco Bell from developing a plot of land at the corner of North Portage Path and West Market Street.

Instead, the spot became a beloved community garden, and then the locally-owned Mustard Seed Market.

A home in Akron

‘It was about community’

In 1979, Swirsky took a job as the Akron Area Director for Ohio Citizens Action and moved to Akron. Two

Above all else, Swirsky understood the power of collective joy and shared experience.

By all accounts, Swirsky nourished Jenkins and their children. He laughed with them, cooked for them, protected them and supported their every talent and endeavor.

He coached every little league baseball team David ever played on, and when Sarah chose theater over softball in elementary school, he became a supportive theater dad, too.

“He was at every single show,” Sarah says. “He was so supportive of me in that way.”

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

Swirsky leads a neighborhood bike ride through Ward 1. (Photo by Shane Wynn)

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Ned and Jodie Delamatre, who count themselves among Swirsky’s closest and oldest friends, spent three decades with the Swirsky family, raising their children together, celebrating and supporting one another through life’s changes and challenges.

“He was really like a brother to me,” Delamatre says. “We laughed all the time, but we could also cry together.

We spent a lot of time just talking about anything and everything — loyalty, honesty, love. There are very deep roots in our friendship.”

The families camped, hiked, ate and traveled together. They celebrated holidays, birthdays and graduations.

“You develop a web of support,” Delamatre says. “You can build a foundation, and [those relationships] are just so special.”

For years, the two families hosted international dinners, which are still among Delamatre’s most cherished memories of her time with Swirsky.

Neighborhood Organization plans to rename in Swirsky’s honor.

“Rich was always there to help.

Sometimes it was coordinating with the city or just showing up with a shovel and some pizzas. He always used his position to do better for people,” Edwards says “He was just fearless, and he was such a good friend.”

Amy, a Ward 1 resident and mother to a now-teenage son, met Swirsky when he stopped by a neighborhood party on his bicycle. During his first campaign, he visited most streets in Ward 1 by bicycle, knocking on doors, chatting with residents and taking notes.

When Swirsky met Amy’s young son for the first time, the pair clicked, and he took care to check in frequently.

“He would literally get down on his knee and interact with [my son] and just be present with him,” Amy says.

“You could tell that he really cared about getting to know us.”

“It really was a bonding experience, because I would get the recipes for a country and then distribute the recipes. We'd all meet at one house and share this wonderful food,” she says. “[For Rich], it was always about food. But it was [also] about sharing.

It was about humor. It was about community.”

More recently, when new neighbors posed challenges in Amy’s neighborhood, Swirsky stepped in to help mediate.

Of all Swirsky’s roles, council was his favorite

“You could feel that in everything that he did in the community,” she adds. “He was just one of the best.”

In 2012, a redistricting changed the makeup of Akron’s Ward 1, shifting its boundary to exclude North Hill.

Typically, a representative from North Akron won the seat, and Swirsky wasn’t sure a candidate from Highland Square could compete.

The redistricting seemed to be a sign. After years of more informal leadership within the community, it was time for Swirsky to make it official.

After a contentious race, he won the seat, and went on to influence then Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic’s decisions about green infrastructure options for the city’s $1.4 billion, EPAmandated sewer overhaul project.

Karen Edwards, who met Swirsky at the beginning of his campaign, went on to help him organize the Glendale Goat Graze, plant the West Hill Orchard and open the Oakdale Pocket Park, which the West Hill

“He just never really let anybody's negativity affect the way that he did what he was elected to do,” Amy says. “He took personal pride in that.”

‘To repair the world’ Swirsky knew the healing power of a well-planned block party or an evening spent on someone else’s front porch. He believed in the goodness of his neighbors — and if not the present goodness, then at least the possibility of goodness to come.

“He would say, ‘Every person is made in the image of God,’” Jenkins says.

“That’s where his sense of fairness and justice came from.”

At some point in his adulthood, Swirsky reconnected with the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, the idea that each of us is responsible not only for our own moral and ethical selves, but for the state of the larger world.

“Tikkun Olam means to heal the world,” Jenkins says. “He identified as a Jew in that way — that it is your responsibility to repair the world.”

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

Though Swirsky is no longer living, the healing his life and work set in motion continues to nourish his family, colleagues and community: in the Orchard on South Maple Street, where he helped friends and neighbors plant; in his children — now public servants themselves; and in his front lawn, when the Monarchs arrive in droves.

For those who knew him, the echo of Swirsky’s life and legacy can be found in every corner of the city.

‘Those little things were really meaningful.’

In February 2020, Swirsky returned to Akron City Council after stepping away for several months to undergo treatment. He returned specifically to cast a vote against Riverwoods, a controversial development project near the Cuyahoga River, and another in favor of legislation that would protect tenants from evictions.

“He wanted so badly to be there,” Jenkins says. “He wanted to feel like himself again. He wanted to get better and get back to work.”

In April, Swirsky celebrated his 68th birthday from his front porch. The Akron Fire Department sent firetrucks in his honor, and dozens of friends, colleagues and constituents dropped by to celebrate.

“Things just sort of happened that were really beautiful, in a way,” David says. “Those little things were really meaningful.”

A few weeks later, in early May, Swirsky made chatpate, a traditional Nepali dish and Swirsky family favorite, for the last time. After that, his health declined, and by November, doctors told him he’d need to enter hospice care.

For Swirsky and his family, it was important to honor him in their own home, among friends, where he spent so many seasons planting seeds.

“He wanted so badly to come home,” Jenkins says. “And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

Planting a white oak For two days, visitors came and went.

In the living room, Swirsky received them from his hospital bed.

Zach Freidof played guitar at his bedside, and Councilmember

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

The Highland Theatre in Highland Square pays homage to Swirksy on its marquee. (Photo by H.L. Comeriato)

Veronica Simms sang a version of “Amazing Grace.” State Senator Vernon Sykes told Swirsky stories of their time together as young organizers in East Akron.

Councilmember Tara Samples came to hold his hand.

“In our culture, people don’t treat death and dying with the reverence that it deserves,” David says. “We understood the value [of] the ritual that you can have around it. It just makes everything easier when you have that [experience], and when you have the support.”

Four months after Swirsky’s death — after hot meals and cards stopped arriving — his family is grappling with both grief and gratitude.

At the end of October, Jenkins and her children will dig up a patch of earth at the corner of Edgerton and North Highland Streets, where people often gather to eat and talk and celebrate.

David’s partner, metal sculptor Megan Shane, plans to create a garden silhouette in Swirsky’s honor.

Swirsky’s niece, Leah Heiser, will help design the memorial garden.

“We’re going to plant a white oak,” Jenkins says, “because it supports the most life and diversity. We’re going to design a corner full of things that attract native pollinators.”

For years to come, things will bloom in memory of Swirsky.

And from any seed sown in his honor, something good is sure to grow.

H.L. Comeriato covers public health at The Devil Strip via Report for America.

Reach them at HL@thedevilstrip.com.

The Devil Strip

| 19

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“When everyone was online, there was a schedule, there was teachers.”

But when other students returned to school, Mica remained online, stuck with a heavy course load, overlapping homework and little structure or oversight.

“It was like they left the kids that stayed online behind and just left them to do their own thing,” Emory says.

Ellet Community Learning Center, where Mica is currently attending classes in-person.

For students, COVID-19 is the new normal. Meet two young people facing big pandemic challenges in the new academic year

BY H.L. COMERIATO, TDS STAFF REPORTER Over the last 18 months, COVID-19 has shaped the way young people experience the world.

Students, in particular, have faced immense uncertainty as adults across the country made important decisions about their health, safety, education and futures.

For most, the return to in-person learning is a chance for social and emotional connection. But for students living with disabilities or compromised immune systems, the academic year comes with a frightening dilemma: risk serious, perhaps fatal, illness or miss out and fall behind.

For Mica, a sophomore at Ellet Community Learning Center, readjusting to in-person learning has been complicated.

At 16 months old, Mica was identified as deaf. Now a teenager, they use a combination of speech, signing, lip reading and hearing devices to communicate with their teachers and peers.

Within Akron Public Schools, most classes and resources for deaf students are located in the Ellet cluster, which means Mica has access to an interpreter for every class.

Nearly a decade ago, the night before they were set to begin first grade at Ritzman Community Learning Center,

Mica’s parent, Emory, drove them to the emergency room at Akron Children’s Hospital.

From the time they were born, Mica experienced frequent illnesses and infections. When they began vomiting and developed a severe headache, Emory knew something was wrong.

After more than six hours, Mica was admitted to the hospital.

As their room filled with frantic staff, someone approached Emory: “They said, ‘We don’t know what’s going on right now, but we’re almost 100% sure your kid has cancer.’”

Young people make big sacrifices After that, everything about Mica’s life changed.

While their classmates spent the first weeks of school making new friends, Mica remained in the hospital for more than a month.

By the following year, they had become so immunocompromised that Emory cancelled their enrollment in hopes that homeschooling might help keep them safe and healthy.

In seventh grade, Mica began attending classes in person again.

They completed eighth grade in person, but COVID-19 kept them learning virtually for the entire duration of their freshman year.

“At first, it was fun,” Mica says.

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

“There weren’t places you could go to get help,” Mica adds. “I struggled with that. How do you get the help if you don’t know what question to ask — and if you don’t know what’s being asked of you?”

Now in the tenth grade, Mica relies on medications and frequent blood transfusions to maintain a safe white blood cell count. Today, they are both healthy enough to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to attend classes in person.

As Mica’s sophomore year approached, they began weighing their options.

Akron Public Schools announced a mask requirement on July 27, but Emory says Mica had to decide between attending virtual or inperson classes before the requirement was announced.

And even with a universal mask mandate, Mica and Emory are nervous for the year to come.

Kenny wore a face covering, too, as did the doctors and nurses who cared for him.

When Matthews found out she was pregnant with her second child in February 2020, she knew she’d name the baby Kenneth, in honor of his uncle and grandfathers. One month later, Kaylan was sent home from school to finish third grade virtually.

Now a fifth grader in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, Kaylan spent the entire duration of her fourth grade school year learning online.

Kaylan says she supports mask mandates in schools because they help protect people like her late late uncle, who rely on the cooperation of others to stay healthy.

“I made it a big deal that she was sacrificing a part of her youth, her childhood, her fourth grade year, for the greater good,” Matthews says.

“I’m so proud of her.”

“A lot of times, she would reference that I was pregnant,” Matthews adds. “When the baby came, she’d say she was doing the right thing for her brother. She has asthma, so she’s doing the right thing for her. I have autoimmune diseases, so she’s doing the right thing for me.”

For Kaylan, who is still too young to be vaccinated, the decision to wear a mask is a simple one. Overall, she says she’s disappointed by adults’ reluctance to follow CDC masking guidelines.

‘Doing the right thing’ “It’s just like, you’d think that adults On May 13, 1998 — just three months shy of his tenth birthday — Kenneth Matthews, Jr., died of cancer.

Kenyona Sunny Matthews embraces her oldest child, Kaylan Park.

His sister, Kenyona Sunny Matthews, grew older without him. She graduated high school and moved on to college. She built a life and a career. She had children of her own.

Matthews’s oldest, Kaylan Park, knows her late uncle from pictures and stories — his wide smile and bright eyes the draw of every family photo.

When Matthews’s brother became ill, she and her family wore masks to help protect him from infections.

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

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to approve a mask requirement in all public schools.

“I contacted all 3,000 people that I know in Cuyahoga Falls. I had all the parents that I knew were [in favor of Akron Public Schools buses parked at the end of the school day. For many the mask mandate] students, including Mica, transportation has become more difficult as a write letters,” she result of the pandemic. says. “We had a bunch of people who were sitting in would be smarter if a virus came.” the audience wearing masks that said she says. “Then you realize that some ‘Masks save lives.’” of them won’t even do anything.”

‘Children are dying’ Dr. Michael Forbes doesn’t like what he sees.

“Children were kind of spared last year,” says Forbes, a pediatric critical care specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital. “This year, Delta has converted the COVID-19 pandemic into a childhood illness.”

A father of two himself, Forbes has more than 30 years of experience in the field of pediatrics. He says the Delta variant is far more contagious than the Alpha variant and is landing more and more young people in Akron Children’s Hospital with serious, life-threatening symptoms.

On Sept. 21, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that more than 1 in 4 patients in Akron Children’s pediatric intensive care unit were being treated for COVID-19.

“We are seeing incredible numbers,'' Forbes says. “But more than that, what it's done to the system — our primary care network is full. Our urgent care is full and seeing record numbers. Our emergency department is seeing record daily numbers.”

At the start of the academic year, Forbes was hesitant to suggest a mask mandate. Now, he’s changed his mind: “We've given people nineteen months’ worth of information, and they are making bad choices and dying because of it. Furthermore, now children are dying because adults have made bad decisions.”

“That bothers me a whole lot,” Forbes adds. “Because this is a preventable catastrophe.”

‘Masks save lives’ On Sept. 1, Matthews petitioned the Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education

22 | The Devil Strip

Matthews’s bid was successful, but not without controversy.

Three weeks after the board voted in favor of a mask mandate, anti-mask demonstrators shut down a school board meeting after they risked public safety by refusing to wear masks indoors.

For now, Kaylan and Matthews are relieved, but they still anxiously await the approval of a safe, effective vaccine option for kids ages 5-11.

In the meantime, the pair is committed to making the best of it — whatever the best may be. Over the last year, Kaylan has hosted virtual tea parties, drive-by birthdays and Zoom sleepovers.

Because Mica is also deaf, the return to in-person learning has presented them with another hurdle: communication. While Mica relies on the mask requirement to stay safe and healthy, face coverings also prevent them from reading lips.

So far, Mica says classroom communication is going well and that they’ve relied primarily on signing and hearing aids to take notes, ask questions and do group work.

But even after receiving a third booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine at the beginning of the school year, Mica worries they may contract the virus as cases rise and rowdy students grow more and more restless.

Students like Mica and Kaylan share a unique understanding of how their actions affect others — a concept Dr. Forbes recommends parents and families embrace as an opportunity to

For Emory and Mica, things still feel uncertain.

Before they were vaccinated, Mica lived in constant fear: “Everywhere you went, it was terrifying to know that I could get sick at any moment, and it could be [COVID-19], or it just could be nothing.”

“I just didn’t go anywhere for a year.

Now, I don’t really have friends. You can keep in contact online but it’s not the same. It feels like I don’t have social skills anymore,” Mica says — echoing a common experience among kids, teens and young adults across the country.

“The fact is, we are very intimately interconnected,” Forbes says, “and our choices do affect other people.

With that in mind, we have to make science-based choices, and we need to walk through this life together.”

“Although it feels that way and looks that way, this is not the end of the world,” Forbes adds. “It's a very, very, very difficult era. And the way we're going to make it out of this era is the way people have [always] survived horrible eras: They do it together.”

H.L. Comeriato covers public health at The Devil Strip via Report for America.

Reach them at HL@thedevilstrip.com.

Kaylan Park, a fifth grader in the Cuyahoga Falls City School District, pictured near the Cuyahoga River.

, D O O F , C I MUS !

N U F , S D FRIEN )

“When I got vaccinated, for the first dose, I wore a crown and princess shirt,” Matthews adds. “I had my daughter take my picture. When she gets hers, we’re doing the same thing. I’m going to get the biggest prom dress I can find, because it’s empowering to me to know that we can do something to end this.”

‘We are very intimately connected’

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The Devil Strip is co-owned by more than 900 Akronites! To join, visit https://thedevilstrip.com/be-a-member.

Is the ring on your finger or watch on your wrist made by Akronite Alex Draven? Alex has his own jewelry company, The ExCB. Each piece is handmade by Alex himself.

Alex first started making jewelry as a student at The University of Akron Myers School of Art. “I always knew I didn’t want to have a real job, so I started doing that. I could never find a watch that I really liked, that really suited me, so for one of my projects, I made a watch and it all kind of spiraled down from there,” he explains.

Alex Draven

BY ALLYSON SMITH, TDS GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER

At first, Alex only made one-of-akind pieces. When he got faster at making them, he was able to create more jewelry and more of the same kind of piece. He would spend all day working his day job and spend all night making jewelry.

“It got to the point where my side

hustle and hobby, the job was getting in the way of that, so I left and haven’t looked back since,” he says.

Now Alex serves on the Board of Directors for Crafty Mart as the head of the vendors’ committee.

Alex appreciates The Devil Strip because it shows him new businesses coming to town but also, “it’s more of the news and more of the news for people like us, what we’re interested in.”

“I had no idea in 2009, who would have known I would be here because of Crafty Mart. They take care of you,” he says.

As a resident of Fairlawn Heights, Alex appreciates living in the country, but also being so close to stores and activities. He also gets to witness the antics of his dog, Paige — like the first time she saw deer.

According to Alex, Paige looked confused and slightly horrified.

“Now, everyday, we have these big windows in the back and she just loses her shit. That’s a thing that happens every day,” he laughs.

The Devil Strip greeted members at its offices at The Summit Artspace during the September Art Walk.

Catch us again on December 10.

(Photo by Jessica Holbrook)

Akron Pride 2021 Devil Strip Client Solutions Director (and member) Anna Adelman snapped these photos at the Akron Pride Festival August 28

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October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

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Right to counsel could save hundreds of Akron residents from eviction. Will the city fund it?

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER, AND CONOR MORRIS, FOR TDS The city is considering a $750,000 proposal put forth by an Akron City Council member and tenant advocacy groups for a pilot program that would provide tenants facing eviction with a lawyer in court proceedings — a move that could potentially save hundreds from being evicted from their homes.

If implemented, Akron, a city with the worst eviction rate in the state and among the highest in large American cities, would become the eighth major U.S. city to provide some form of a right to counsel for tenants.

“When a housing provider has a lawyer most of the time and a tenant does not, it’s a really disempowering experience,” said attorney and Akron City Council member Shammas Malik, who represents Ward 8. “It’s kind of traumatizing to stand in front of a judge and not know what words you’re supposed to use to try to keep yourself in your house.”

Malik wants that to change. With support of tenant advocacy groups like Community Legal Aid in Akron, Malik submitted a proposal in June to Mayor Dan Horrigan’s office to use funding from the $145 million the city received as part of the federal COVID-19 relief funds to pilot a right to counsel program for tenants facing eviction. The mayor’s office gave a presentation regarding the processes of spending those funds to Akron City Council on Sept. 27, but did not present specific programs or legislation.

If approved, the $750,000 proposal would fund a team that would represent between 360 and 420 tenants in Akron over the course of a two-year pilot period. Those numbers are based on staffing levels in a similar program in Cleveland, which has touted promising results in the year since its inception.

An eviction can have significant cascading negative effects on families, said Andrew Neuhauser, a managing attorney with Community Legal Aid in Akron. And Akron has the highest eviction rate in the state, with nearly 3,600 evictions alone during the last “normal” year on record, 2019.

26 | The Devil Strip

The federal eviction moratorium during 2020 and half of 2021 lowered that number, but Neuhauser expected evictions to significantly increase in the city after the moratorium was ended by the U.S. Supreme Court in late August. There’s no clear data yet available on if that’s happened so far in Akron.

There are definite signs that a right to counsel program helps keep people in their homes. Prior to the Cleveland’s program’s inception in July 2020, only an average of 2% of tenants had legal representation in Cleveland Housing Court, said Colleen Cotter, executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

Akron probably has a similar rate, Neuhauser said. Meanwhile, most landlords can afford access to a lawyer.

“It’s pretty intimidating for tenants to be in there by themselves,” Neuhauser said.

Cleveland courts saw a significant uptick in residents getting legal representation after the right to counsel program was implemented there: from 2% to 20% of tenants.

Meanwhile, in the first six months of the program, about 93% of the Cleveland right to counsel clients who faced an eviction or involuntary move were able to avoid being displaced because of the legal representation they received. A similarly significant number of tenants were able to win more time to move out if they needed it.

Similarly, since a right to counsel program was implemented in New York City in 2017, 84% of tenants with representation facing evictions were able to remain in their home, while the eviction rate declined by about 30% overall, according to a report from NYC’s Office of Civil Justice.

Unlike Cleveland’s program, which was adopted as a city ordinance, Akron’s program would strictly serve as a pilot program for Community Legal Aid to represent a limited number of tenants over the course of two years.

The proposal also requests funds to support a position based in Legal Aid to build a coalition of nonprofit and

government organizations to fund and support a permanent right to counsel ordinance in Akron at the end of the two year pilot program.

At present, Community Legal Aid spokesperson Maria Duvuvuei said her organization can take on some tenant eviction cases, but only so many per year due to limited resources. Even then, the client typically must be 200% below the poverty line to qualify.

Community Legal Aid took on about 1,494 housing law cases between Aug. 1, 2020 and July 31. About 580 of those were eviction cases. That number could increase significantly if the right to counsel program is implemented, Neuhauser said.

With a lawyer present, tenants will have access to a variety of defenses and legal remedies they otherwise wouldn’t know about, he said. For example, an eviction could be thrown out of court if it was filed improperly.

“There are some cases where they can negotiate a settlement where the person or family stays in the home,” Malik said. “Again, that is really helpful when you talk about accessibility and how important housing is to all these other issues: to healthcare, to workforce, to poverty, to crime. Housing instability really destabilizes a family.”

Because of limited funding, Legal Aid would only be able to initially represent between 360 and 420 people out of roughly 3,000-4,000 people evicted yearly during nonpandemic years.

counsel programs in the U.S., which typically are majority-funded through city or state resources.

Legal Aid hasn’t yet worked out details about qualifications for eligibility, but they will likely adopt policies similar to Cleveland’s.

When looking at some of the main issues facing Akron, such as a high infant mortality rate and a public school district with 10% of students labeled as housing insecure each year, Malik said it makes sense to focus on families and children. They will likely also target neighborhoods that have high eviction rates.

“The details are less important than seeing if the model works,” Malik said. “The main point is to see what works and see if this is something worth funding as a permanent thing.”

Housing is one of six major issues Mayor Horrigan plans to address with the American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will be dispersed in two rounds and must be obligated by the end of 2024. It is the most significant amount of money the city has ever received.

It is still unclear if the right to counsel for tenants will be included in those housing plans. The city and council plans to schedule two town halls for citizen input.

“I think it’s worth really making sure we spend (COVID-19 relief funds) in the most thoughtful and transformative ways and not in ways that are kind of just adding to things we’re already doing,” Malik said “Now is the time to try new things.”

Abbey Marshall and Conor Morris are Report for America corps members.

Abbey covers economic development for The Devil Strip. Conor is a reporter for Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative, a coalition of 18 newsrooms and community partners in the region. Reach them at abbey@thedevilstrip.com and conor@ thedevilstrip.com.

Cleveland’s program also has limits.

It’s only available to city residents who have children and earn at or below the federal poverty line: $21,720 per for a family of A woman holds up a poster at a rally for housing reform in Columbus, Ohio, in June (Stephan Jenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images). three.

A majority of that program is grant funded, with only $300,000 out of $2.1 million coming from city government.

This is a relative rarity when compared to other right to

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

thedevilstrip.com

Day Trip:

Firestone Metro Park

Plan an outing around your Fall Hiking Spree

BY CHARLEE HARRIS FOR TDS PHOTOS BY JESSICA GOLDBOURN Day Trip is a new TDS feature showcasing the Summit Metro Parks and the neighborhoods around them.

The Hike THE WILLOW TRAIL AT FIRESTONE METRO PARK.

This trail is rated “easy” on the Summit Metro Parks’ website and loops around Turtle Pond. The Willow trail is 1.6 miles long with mostly flat-ground walking, and it has many ideal picnic areas. The trail does have an area with a slight incline, so be sure to wear proper footwear and bring hiking sticks if needed.

Firestone Park is unique in that the trails are wider than most, which makes it perfect for more friends to join the hike.

Fuel Up Before hitting the trails, stop at Muggswigz Coffee and Tea on Manchester Road and pick up an artisan latte and cinnamon roll to enjoy on the trail. I picked up a Vanilla Cloud from the café before making my way to the trail with a good friend.

Park Perks The Willow Trail is special because it takes you past both Turtle Pond and the Tuscarawas River. Turtle Pond allows children to bring the fishing poles and try their hand at fishing.

Another fun activity for the kiddos would be feeding the birds. Just west of Turtle Pond along the Willow Trail is the best bird-feeding spot. Cardinals and black-capped chickadees are just some of the species that frequent this area. With a little patience and

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

persistence, you may meet a couple new feathery friends. Just remember to feed them bird seed and not bread because bread wreaks havoc on their digestive systems.

Explore Although there are many ice cream eateries in the surrounding area, it may be more beneficial to pick up a small pint and enjoy it with a friend as you walk the trail. Pav’s Creamery has released a special-edition flavor called Salted Maple Pecan, celebrating the Summit Metro Parks’ centennial. Sweetlycreated4u Candle Company also has a special-edition fall candle inspired by hikes at the Summit Metro Parks.

After walking the trail, you will no doubt be halfway starved (at least I was). So, if you didn’t pack any snacks, there are many options in the surrounding area: Louisiana

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

Famous Fried Chicken, located at 61 E. Waterloo Road, is a great option if you are looking for comfort food.

Ms. Julie’s Kitchen, located at 1809 S. Main Street, is a great choice if you are looking for vegan options.

Our Take Every year I look forward to the Fall Hiking Spree, and this year is no different. Taking the time to plan and make a day of it will truly heighten your park experience. If this is your first year participating, be sure to download the Fall Hiking Spree form and keep track of all your hikes. It doesn’t matter if you are a rookie or a seasoned hiker; Firestone Metro Park is sure to be a great time.

Charlee Harris is a writer and the host of The Stix n Stones Podcast Charleeharris.com @ blumoonyellowstars

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rubber city works with fran wilson Into the Bowels of Akron

BY FRAN WILSON FOR TDS Rubber City Works is an explorative column detailing the discoveries of Fran Wilson while highlighting workers in the behind-the-scenes of local government.

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eneath the sidewalks we stroll and the roads we commute is a labyrinth of pipes that connects to our homes and businesses. These pipes collect waste and water from every toilet flushed and faucet turned on, using gravity and some engineering to push it all downhill to be processed in the Valley. And the city sewage workers that manage this system are often as unnoticed as the underground infrastructure they look after.

We often don’t think about sewers until something goes very wrong.

And I imagine the city tries its best to make sure you don’t think about them at all.

In the back of a city truck turned mobile office, parked off East Avenue, Rob Moody adjusts his baseball cap and leans forward in his chair, the back of his neon yellow t-shirt reading “Your job could be worse” over an illustration of a sad toilet paper roll. His thumbs toggle a modified X-Box controller, moving a camera-bot 8 feet underground, then he points at a slimy, moving object lit up on the screen. A tangled mess of roots filled the monitor, and in the bottom left corner, under his index: “A worm!”

His boss, Rob Driver, a TV inspection technician, leaned in and chuckled.

“I’ve run across raccoons and opossums. But the craziest thing I ever saw down there was catfish.

There were 20 of them down there — they were dead.”

28 | The Devil Strip

Moody backed the camera-bot up and Driver radioed to the truck down the street to clear the debris from the main line. They never saw the worm again.

“So, if I gave you a microphone that went to the ear of every Akronite, what would you tell them about the sewers?” I asked Driver.

“Those flushable wipes aren’t flushable.”

Five days a week, three TV trucks scout around town, uncovering manholes on the street and sending a camera down to check for blockages like roots or critters or “flushable” wipes, assessing and recording anything for maintenance on either the city’s side or in the sanitary pipes leading from residences.

The mains that run under our feet are smaller than you might think — some only 8-inches in diameter, depending on the type and location of the pipe. In some neighborhoods, the sanitary lines from homes mix into a combined pipe with a street’s storm water drains.

On a typical day, everything captured slowly makes its way down to the Valley plant, gravity nudging it along.

‘The first rule of plumbing is that water flows downhill.’ This was a lesson taught to me growing up in a plumbing family. Turns out, gravity also saves the city a lot of money, and citizens a lot of taxes. Kudos to Mother Earth on that one.

At peak storm hours, some sewage is pushed into chasmic basins around the city, temporarily storing it until the pipes are cleared or the plant can handle the load.

Akron’s pipes are either clay, concrete, or fiberglass. From the camera-bot, the pink coating of the neighborhood pipe makes it look like we are in the city’s very gut. And, I guess in a way, we were.

Steven Baytos, Superintendent of Akron’s Water Reclamation Facility, hands me a neon yellow vest and a hardhat. Then, he took me on a tour of the operation he oversees.

The plant is tucked away between Akron-Peninsula Road and the Cuyahoga River. Growing up in the Valley, I’d always roll up the window and plug my nose when we passed the waste plants on the way to school in the morning. Today, all I could smell was the river.

Baytos opened the door to our first stop, tucked away in a dim brick building, housing the plant’s bar screens.

Serving Akron and a handful of other localities, the plant typically takes in over 70 million gallons of water and waste a day, and up to four times that amount during storms and thaws.

Influent — everything coming in — is run through screens, filtering out large items and unprocessable waste.

My eyes scanned the mechanical claws on the screen. I saw a tampon, leaves, a dozen or so “flushable” wipes, a snail, a stick, and an empty whiskey bottle. All of this was either flushed down the toilet or found its way through the storm grates on the street.

“We pull 80 tons of this per week, between the rags (clothing or “flushable” wipes) and the grit.” The superintendent leads me down a set of stairs to the dumpsters — filled to the brim with heaps of mostly unidentifiable debris. On the top of a pile in one dumpster, a red rubber kickball sits next to an empty Reddiwhip canister and a condom. He mentions that during the fall, these dumpsters fill up every 30 minutes with just leaves.

“You get snakes, logs, money. One guy got lucky and found $1,500 in 100-dollar bills. And you find dolls and creepy things.”

“Have you seen any bodies?” I asked.

“When you flush, it doesn’t go away.”

“No, I haven’t,” he said.

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

Baytos guides me past the grit tanks — used to rest the influent, letting sediment and particles drop to the bottom of the basin to later be sifted out. Then, we make our way across a grated walkway over bubbling brown liquid. This is where they shoot air and “good” bacteria into the influent, cleaning it biologically. And after we pass the chemical cleaning process, the superintendent veers off into the woods. That is where the effluent — the screened, processed, and cleaned water — splashes into the Cuyahoga.

The smell of the river was strong, clean.

As we walk back through the grass and the gravel, Baytos tells me how there’s never an off-day for the plant, its workers rotating in and out of shifts, day and night. And they often work holidays, because, as he puts it — you can’t tell families to just stop flushing.

When we stopped back outside the office, we took off our hardhats and wiped the sweat from our foreheads.

The superintendent looked up for a moment, his eyes skimming the grounds of the plant — machines, sewage, and all — and shared that he wished this work and city workers like him were as appreciated as other first responders.

As I drove home, it began to pour.

Rainwater rushed across Maple, forming a little crooked river in the street.

I couldn’t help but think how every drop of that water under my tires had a long journey ahead — and how, at some point, those drops would probably come into contact with at least one “flushable” wipe along the way. For, what else would explain why every sewer worker I met told me to stop flushing flushable wipes?

Fran Wilson (they) is a West Hillian activist and a 4th generation Akronite who writes about the behind-thescenes of local government. thedevilstrip.com

that group's vice president.

Biagio Vittoria, who goes by Ben, is the president and owneroperator of the last Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips in Cuyahoga Falls. Ben has worked for the Arthur Treacher’s franchise since 1977.

Arthur Treacher’s: A life’s work kept alive An Ohio original and the best fish and chips in the area

BY KEN EVANS FOR TDS PHOTOS BY KEN EVANS Franchise end-lings

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or the past two decades, the nightly news has regularly reported on national and regional chains closing their doors forever.

Stores like WaldenBooks, KB Toys and Old Country Buffet are just a few of the many lost franchises that left a significant yet brief impact on the lives of their customers.

Every once in a while, though, a single franchise store can manage to hang on and even thrive without its corporate parents. In biology, the last living member of a species is known as an “endling.” These franchise endlings include places like the last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, and the last Howard Johnson Restaurant in Lake George, New York.

As national brands, these businesses were common, but now, as single stores, they have become destinations in and of themselves, serving not only the last of a loyal customer base but also those reaching for a small piece of nostalgia.

Joining this list is Cuyahoga Falls’s last Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips.

Once a large national brand with 826 locations, the Arthur Treacher’s iconic yellow lantern now only shines at the corner of Sackett and State, kept alive by the energy of a man whose summer job became an unexpected career.

There can be only one

Biagio Vittoria, who goes by Ben, is the president and owner-operator of the last Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips. A sturdy-looking man with kind eyes and a friendly smile, Ben never expected that he would make a career out of fast food.

“In 1977, I had no idea that I would be involved in Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips. If someone looked into a crystal ball, I would have told them it was totally, totally wrong,” said Ben. After graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, he was looking for a job to help him pay for graduate school. On a trip to apply for school, he drove past an Arthur Treacher’s looking to hire and train managers. Thinking it would be an easy six-month gig to make some money, Ben got off the highway and applied. “Well, six months from 1977 turned out to be over 40 plus years,” he notes.

Founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969, Arthur Treacher’s was one of many fish-focused fast food establishments that opened that year.

However, the founders sought to distinguish themselves as more than just a quick bite. They wanted to be an authentic English fish and chips restaurant. Adopting a British recipe, the company partnered with English actor Arthur Treacher to help give the franchise more legitimacy. Famous for his roles as the quintessential English butler, particularly his character Jeeves, Treacher represented all things British to the American public.

The company grew quickly from 1969 to 1979, and Ben ascended from store manager trainee to the corporate level, first serving as a regional director of an Ohio-based franchise group and then becoming

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

While the company was proving popular with customers, it also was bought and sold between corporate entities. The most infamous of these purchases was by Mrs. Paul's Seafood. The company switched the fish offering from traditional cod to cheaper pollock due to increased cost after the “Cod Wars” between the United Kingdom and Iceland. Mrs. Paul’s also tried to introduce fish sticks to the Treacher’s menu, which many franchise owners refused to serve.

“They did not realize that Arthur Treacher’s franchisees were very successful, very strong, and they were not going to accept fish sticks in their operations. Litigation ensued, and for three years, it was nothing else but litigation,” Ben explained.

The franchisees would win their fight with Mrs. Paul’s, but this turbulent time saw half of the company's locations close. Trading hands again, Arthur Treacher’s would weather two bankruptcies in the early 1980s but would slowly recover after a franchisee group formed a new corporate entity, Arthur Treacher’s, Inc., based in Youngstown, to manage the brand. Ben once again was promoted, this time becoming the company's director of operations.

The company would see a brief revival in the late ‘80s, but corporate mismanagement at the highest levels would continue to plague Arthur Treacher’s.

After four years, Ben decided to leave the corporate world. The company was relocating its headquarters to Florida, and Ben had done enough moving in his life. Transitioning to an Arthur Treacher’s owner-operator, Ben bought the State Road location in 1988 and would come to own several others throughout Northeast Ohio.

The Arthur Treacher’s franchise continued to trade hands, eventually being bought by True Foods and Nathan's Famous in the mid-2000s.

Unfortunately, neither company is interested in new franchise locations, though Nathan’s Famous is developing a ghost kitchen concept that could see Arthur Treacher’s return as a delivery-only business.

As locations around the county closed, Ben soon became the only owner-operator left and would slowly begin closing his stores as well. In July 2021, due to the national labor shortage and a general desire to slow

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

down, he closed his Garfield Heights location, leaving only his original franchise on State Road as the last operating Arthur Treacher’s.

Arthur Treacher’s Day

Despite all the corporate issues, Ben is proud of the work he has done with Arthur Treacher’s and is pleased to be helping the historic brand live on.

Because of his 44 years of experience, he has retained vital knowledge about the franchise and the supply chains needed to ensure that the taste people remember is what his store sells.

“I think that I'm the keeper of, if not the secrets, at least some of the unique process,” says Ben. Even Nathan's Famous has tapped Ben for product knowledge and brand information.

Over the years, a cult following has developed around Arthur Treacher’s, with customers coming from all over the United States. Some are just looking to try the brand before it’s gone, while others come to enjoy the memory of simpler times. Arthur Treacher’s Facebook page is full of pictures of out-of-state visitors and old regulars, some of whom have been eating the food since the store opened in the Falls in 1972. It is these customers that allow him to hang on.

“When you have regular, loyal customers, you establish a relationship,” Ben says with pride.

A small fish and chips chain may not seem like the most romantic place, yet Arthur Treacher’s manages to perfectly capture the feeling of the recent past, offering something to visitors that is unironically old fashioned, simple and delicious. In recognition of the store’s unique significance and long history, Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters declared June 30 as Arthur Treacher’s Day and encouraged residents to embrace the store as an important part of the community.

Treach yourself You can visit the last Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips at 1833 State Rd. in Cuyahoga Falls, Monday - Saturday, 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Check them out on Facebook.

Ken Evans finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

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Margaret Atwood’s book “The Handmaid’s Tale” featuring a bright red cloak and a wire hanger in the shape of a Republican elephant, was exhibited in 2019 when Georgia was passing restrictive abortion laws. The shop was vandalized with graffiti condemning his stance.

But Ferguson said he was never too bothered by his opposition. A splash of green paint stained the sidewalk in front of the shop after the graffiti was gone, so he took out his own brush and painted a MAGA hat on the splat and a shoeprint, making it look like he was squashing a Trumpsupporting bug.

Highland Shoe Repair, known for its quirky window displays, closes after 28 years

BY ABBEY MARSHALL, TDS STAFF REPORTER PHOTOS BY ABBEY MARSHALL

I

n the storefront of Highland Shoe Repair, the head of a large valkyrie made out of plaster and sporting a horned helmet and shield sits behind the glass, her mouth agape.

“The fat lady is singing!” a sign reads in the window. “September 10 — Final Day to accept Repairs.

October 15 — All repairs MUST be reclaimed.”

It’s the last time Bob Ferguson will dress up his mannequin, the subject of window displays that have been a cherished quirk of the Highland Square neighborhood for the past 28 years. He’s closing up shop on Oct. 15 and retiring.

Ferguson didn’t originally set out to repair shoes. He was employed as a seasonal worker at the Chapel Hill Mall Sears in 1989 when he passed by a sign in a mall shop window advertising full- time work in a shoe repair shop — what he called a “rarity” at the time. After a few months, he realized he had a knack for it.

exists, working in three mall locations in the Akron area before opening his own shop in 1993: a small storefront nestled next to the Highland Square Theater.

A year later, on his drive to Highland Square from his Ellet residence, he noticed a mannequin in an antique shop window several mornings in a row.

But in true Highland Square fashion, Akron City Councilmember Rich Swirsky, who passed away earlier this year, organized a rally to support Ferguson and freedom of speech.

Supporters gathered outside the shop, holding shoes in the air and passing around drinks and pastries from nearby Angel Falls Coffee Company.

“I figured if she was catching my attention that often, I couldn’t be the only one,” he said.

“That’s the sort of thing I’ll miss,” Ferguson said. “This is a really supportive, tight community.”

So, he purchased the mannequin and put it in his storefront as a means to attract customers — a tactic far cheaper than taking out an advertisement. Ferguson began dressing up the mannequin to reference politics, topical issues and movies playing at the Highland Theater next door using his own craftiness and cheap finds from Village Thrift.

Some of his other favorite, less controversial displays included memorials to legendary musicians such as David Bowie, or really any of the ones that coincided with major movie releases at the Highland Square Theater.

Despite his catchy window, business had dulled in recent years. His decision to close was threefold: “shoes are manufactured to be disposable nowadays,” his supply chain was no longer local and relied on out-of-state suppliers that became increasingly difficult to navigate and “there’s no longer much of a need to maintain dress shoes” with work from home options.

But he’s looking forward to retirement. He has an affinity for gardening, planting and harvesting grapes to make wine and jams. He also plans on focusing on his drawing and sculpting. He’s determined to learn how to play the ukulele “no matter how much my wife might not like it.”

“It’s kind of exciting not knowing what’s next,” he said. “I look forward to sitting in my adirondack chair around a fire pit without having to worry about work.”

As for the mannequin, she will come home with him and maybe “I’ll rest a hat on her,” he said.

“Honestly,” he said, “some may miss me more for my window displays than anything else.”

Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.

“It became something bigger than I ever even intended,” he said. “I didn’t realize people would love it so much.”

“I liked not having to sell something to someone that they didn’t necessarily need or want,” he said. “I found that oftentimes, there’s usually enough with what people already had.”

His favorite displays were always the ones that offered political commentary. When he was a child, he dreamed of a career as an editorial cartoonist. The displays, he said, were a good way to exercise those critical and artistic skills from his youth.

He became a manager for Shoe Fixers, a company that no longer

But not everyone was a fan of those opinions. One display, inspired by

30 | The Devil Strip

On another occasion, he dressed his mannequin in a Statue of Liberty costume with a paper bag over her head to represent the shame he felt about the direction of the country following President Donald Trump’s strict travel ban for many Middle Eastern countries in 2017, eliciting hatred and arson threats from people in the area.

Movies were a huge appeal to Ferguson as an avid pop culture fan.

His small shop is cluttered with not just shoe repair tools, but remnants of old window displays: from a Doctor Who TARDIS to a makeshift sea monster costume from a former Kong vs. Godzilla display. The wall is lined with autographed photos of famous people he’s met, from Jamie Lee Curtis to Barbara Eden.

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

thedevilstrip.com

Lele's Leaf and Vine Takes Root Near Akron WRITTEN BY ZINGA HART FOR TDS

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eah Weese’s love of plants is tattooed on her sleeve. Literally, she has succulents, strings of hearts, chicks and hens, sunflowers, and, more than a few roses, inked up her arm like a garden of a passion.

“I enjoy spreading the love of plants to anyone who will listen!” she declared.

Out of that passion Leah has bloomed Lele’s Leaf and Vine. Just on the border between Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, her shop can be found over the hill of Portage Trail Extension West, where the old Rose Bowl Florists & Gift Shop used to be.

“So all of last year, people were calling me the plant lady,” Leah chuckles, “ I almost felt like it as an insult when you have more than just the plant lady, but this here, when people come in here and they literally introduce me to their friends as the plant lady I see how excited they are! Now I am like, okay, I am the plant lady. I wear all the plant clothes I sell the plants I teach people about them. Yeah, I kind of embraced it this year, it's, it no longer feels negative.”

And what could feel negative? When you walk into Lele’s Leaf and Vine you are greeted with a backdrop of greenery and all sorts of items celebrating plants and the art of growing them. Yet, like the process of growing, opening Lele’s was no small feat. Leah, like many, was let go from her bartending job during the start of the pandemic. Interestingly enough, two days before that shut down, she just filed for the LLC to open her business.

Her passion for plants came from spending summers in the garden with her dad and volunteering with her grandmother at a flower and plant sale for the American Cancer Society for many years. In the last 8 years or so it evolved into a love for anything green! She had been slowly exploring how to transition her plant passion into a career, and was beginning to create floral-based gifts for events such as Mother’s Day. Now the store boasts retail shopping for plant and plant accessories, plant-based events and experiences, as well as six local artists that all focus on planted themed creations such as jewelry, homegoods, clothing and candles.

Outside of her store front, Leah also

takes LeeLee’s Leaf and Vine on the road. You can find the operation at farmer’s markets at least four days a week. They travel to Munroe Falls on Tuesdays, Tallmadge on Thursdays, and Cuyahoga Falls on Fridays, and Stow on Saturday mornings. Beyond connecting with the community, the mission of the plant lady is also to empower the youth of Akron.

of land for free by maintaining it for six months out of the year. Once their land is acquired, this partnership will result in them building greenhouses that will educate the local community on growing their own food to supply.

A once unkempt and vacant lot will evolve into healthy options for an entire community.

They currently work with the Seiberling Community Learning center, to revitalize and grow plants inside a greenhouse that was not in use on the property. This year, they grew five different kinds of tomatoes, peppers, three different types of squash, two different types of cucumbers, and peppers, lettuce, raddish, beets and many different kinds of herbs. The harvest went to our surrounding communities on a donation basis to fund the program for next spring.

They plan to grow cold weather crops like broccoli and brussel sprouts this winter.

Leah hopes to keep working with children going forward.

“I don’t have kids myself, but I love kids and watching their faces light up when they plan to learn something,” says Leah.

For Leah, working with school systems was a pivot that only furthers her personal mission of helping people learn about and bringing sustainable farming to the Akron area. Ultimately, she hopes to grow the amount of sustainable farms in Akron and expand people’s love of plants.

You can find out more about LeeLee’s Leaf and Vine on their website at leleleafandvine.com or through social media: @leleleafandvine for Instagram and Lele's leaf and Vine for Facebook.

They have also started working with the Akron Urban League and The U.S. Department of Agriculture to obtain a five-year contract to get funding to build a greenhouse in an Akron food desert. They are using the Mow to Own program in Akron to secure the land.

This program, started in 2020, allows Akron neighbors to earn vacant lots

Zinga Hart is a proud alum of The Devil Strip Spring Training program and hopes to unroot resources that make the Akron life worth living.

Adoption Open House Learn more about infant, foster care, and different needs adoption.

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Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

The Devil Strip

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Trouble with Old People: Let’s Get Normal While most of us were in pandemic isolation this past year, America's state legislators, fearless for their personal safety, were hard at work.

Florida's legislature passed a law to protect its citizens from the scourge of "vaccine passports." Now, no community can set up a system for people to show they have been vaccinated. Because that would be a bad thing, you see.

Ohio's lawmakers also had to step into the breach. They saw a clear and present danger that, in the next election, there might be more than one vote drop-off box per county.

The Founding Fathers neglected to protect us from this. Alert legislators acted promptly to nullify the threat.

So far, so good, they may feel. But their work is not done. During the pandemic, some toxic social trends have been allowed to fester. It is time for our lawmakers to correct these if we ever hope to put COVID-19 behind us.

Our most desperate need is to legally restrict FaceTime. Many people worry about addiction to video gaming, a problem primarily of young people.

Abuse of FaceTime is a huge problem among seniors. So far, we have avoided accountability for the harm we do. This social injustice must end.

I don't know if you have ever been in the room with a FaceTiming grandparent. Actually, it is not always necessary to be in the room.

Sometimes it is enough to be in the same ZIP code. We grew up in a time when placing a long distance call was a very big deal. It meant talking loudly enough to be heard over miles of phone wires. Add this early training to our hearing losses and you get the present crisis. Many of us speak to the loved ones on our screens at decibel levels known to peel paint from walls.

But the real problem with FaceTiming seniors isn't how we talk. It’s what we say. At the first sound of that ringtone, we set aside our

conversational filters.

"Oh, honey, that's such a nice poop in the potty! Is that really yours?

Thank you for sharing with Grandpa.

I'm so proud. Have you shown your mom? Oh? Well, she's probably just having a bad day. You know, she’s stuck in the house all the time. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Try showing your dad!"

A toxic trend that has exploded in the shadow of the pandemic is “Following Your Passion.” Television is full of earnest people claiming you can be anything you want if only you FYP. And who would want to argue? Most seniors hope everyone they meet will someday fulfill all their dreams and passions.

In the meantime, we would settle for some competence in their pre-passion job.

"Welcome to Main Street Garage, the garage that cares. My name is Brandon. I'll be your mechanic today.

How may I maximize your customer experience?"

"Uh, hi, Brandon. My car is making a funny screeching noise. It's not there all the time. Mostly I notice it on right turns. It seems to come from the passenger side."

"We have a sale on seat covers right now. Are you a member of our Frequent Customer Club?"

"I don't think so. About the noise.

A brake problem, do you think? Or something else?"

"Could be, I guess. Have you tried turning slower?"

"Brandon, if you don't mind my asking, how long have you worked here?"

"All week. Before that, I was at the Gap. But they wanted me to work evenings. I can't do that. My passion is performance art. All our shows are in the evening. The person you want to talk to is Sonya. Her passion is fixing cars."

"Great. Let me talk to Sonya."

"She's at lunch. I can set you up with a Frequent Customer account while you wait. It will just take a few minutes."

"No thanks, Brandon. I'm not planning on being a frequent customer."

"OK. But I'd definitely wait for her if I were you. I heard you when you drove in. There's something wrong with your car."

It's not clear what the legislature can do to fix our passion-following problem. It will be tough. Tougher than managing face masks in a crowded kindergarten at chocolatemilk time. But any help would be welcome.

Unless you've been living in a cabin above the Arctic Circle, you've noticed that conspiracy theories are turning up everywhere. These thought distortions threaten to close off our shared paths to understanding reality.

Conspiracy theories are tenacious.

They can't be outlawed. But they could be taxed.

How would this work? It's important to be proportional. Some conspiracy theories pour more poison into the wells of common sense than others.

Good tax policy would reflect this.

Let's say you like to send all your Facebook friends daily updates on your evil neighbors, who are conspiring with the CIA to make you mow your lawn. No problem. The state will simply add $100 to your tax bill to cover the extra wear and tear on the public's patience.

Or maybe you want to go big. You want to share with a naïve public the great truth that Neil Armstrong's socalled moon walk was a total sham.

You and some other deep thinkers have figured out that the whole thing was staged in a warehouse in Fort Worth. In the 50 years since, every single one of the tens of thousands of people involved has kept this completely under wraps. You believe this in spite of the fact that you yourself couldn't keep a muffin recipe secret if your life depended on it.

Go right ahead and share your insights. Your fellow Americans will still love you. Sort of. But your state tax bill just went up a thousand bucks.

No doubt there are a few details to be worked out. As a senior, I will exercise my right just to be the bigpicture guy. If you are a legislator, feel free to take this plan and make it work so we can all get back to normal.

You're welcome.

- Steve Van Auken

32 | The Devil Strip

thedevilstrip.com

Akron Eatery Reborn: Your Pizza shop is now LeeAngelo’s Pizza

BY EMILY ANDERSON FOR TDS

I

t was time for some upgrades

Ten years after opening Your Pizza Shop in West Akron, Angelo Gonzales III, with his partner Leeann Greitzer, gave the place a facelift inside and out with a simplified menu, a fresh pizza recipe, and a whole new brand — LeeAngelo’s Pizza.

Gonzales, who lives in Kent, says he was drawn to the Akron area, particularly the west side, because it reminded him of the neighborhood where he grew up in Buffalo, NY. He opened Your Pizza Shop in 2011 with his father, who ran a pizza shop in Buffalo.

Gonzales spent much of 2020 doing what he could to help out the community. He worked with other business owners and food vendors to provide 7,000 free lunches for local kids when schools closed. When restrictions relaxed, it was time to focus on the shop.

The name change and rebrand came as part of a massive update on the interior and exterior of the shop, which is in one of the units in a building that Gonzales owns on Exchange Street. They closed for nine weeks starting July 3, during which time they repainted the face of the building, refinished the parking lot, hung new signs, installed AC, and completely refreshed the interior working space.

Gonzales said that he realized he needed to provide his staff and community with a higher quality work environment in 2020.

“We just couldn’t keep doing it that way. I couldn’t ask my staff to work in those conditions,” he said, talking about the small kitchen space and outdated HVAC system.

The new space feels fresh and clean, with bright lights throughout and freshly painted murals by local artists Matt Miller and Dan Coffield. One wall is decorated with awards and

memorabilia from Your Pizza Shop.

The new LeeAngelo’s sign on the front of the building says “community over competition” across the top of it, reminding everyone who drives by what their philosophy is.

The menu has been consolidated — they’re offering three pizza sizes instead of six, and there are fewer size options for chicken dinners. Fun one-day-only specials like hot chicken sandwiches and loaded fries can be found on the shop’s social media for loyal followers.

LeeAngelo’s new pizza has a thick crust — a new recipe made in-house.

Their tomato sauce comes from a different source than Your Pizza’s, and it’s seasoned in-house as well.

The new pizza comes topped with a generous amount of cheese, crunchy garlic crust, and plenty of topping options.

Angelo’s uncle Jose and cousin Joe run the daily operations at LeeAngelo’s with a staff of 12 people. Gonzales recently upgraded starting pay for his employees to $11 an hour, saying he believes in “sweat equity,” and wants to use his business to “change people’s lives.” He’s looking forward to being able to offer franchise opportunities and is already working on plans for a second location.

LeeAngelo’s new website is simple and easy to navigate. Customers who create an account can use the site to view the menu and place an order, track their rewards points, and save digital coupons for later use. Anyone who had an account with Your Pizza can continue using the same logins, and their loyalty points from the past are still valid.

Your Pizza had a loyal following of local customers and LeeAngelo’s will likely be no different. While we can’t make jokes about “your” pizza shop on the corner anymore, LeeAngelo’s is still yours. And mine. And all of ours.

Emily Anderson likes anchovies on her pizza.

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

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Grown-up Trick or Treat: Wine and candy pairings BYLINE: JESSICA GOLDBOURN, TDS DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

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aybe you think, I just drink what I like. No problem, you can absolutely do that. But take a minute to think about how much better mashed potatoes are with butter, or grilled cheese dipped in tomato soup. Grilled cheese with broccoli cheese soup is fine, but it’s just too much cheese. I can’t believe those words just came out of my mouth but it’s true. Some things are just better together.

Since tiny Halloween candy is just about as unpretentious as you can get, and you’re likely about to have a lot of it in front of you soon, here are a few suggestions to keep the wincing away while you have your drinks, passing out candy and sneaking a few, or more pieces than you’d like to admit, along the way.

I know the situation. You like sweet

and I’m not going to change your mind. Good news for you. Sweet goes with sweet. Give Dots, Smarties, or yes, I’m saying it, candy corn a try with your riesling or sweet wine.

Drinking bubbly is just fun. It lends itself to celebrating and for some Halloween is the ONLY holiday worth mentioning. Try Nerds, Pixie Sticks or Fun Dip and toast the trick or treaters who are clearly over 21 coming to your door.

Sauvignon Blanc can be hard to pair, but I had it just last week with Mike and Ike’s and found it difficult to control myself. Note to self, eating straight out of the HUGE bag is bad.

I thought, “good thing I don’t have Skittles in the house or those would be gone too.”

Let’s not mince words here. Merlot is made for chocolate, dark preferably but milk will do in a pinch. And if you are feeling special and happen upon

an adult Halloween party with truffles then all the better. Or, treat yourself and just buy the truffles. I like Lindt for such occasions.

Red Zinfandel is commonly known as a fruit bomb in the wine industry.

That makes it perfect for anything with nuts. Drink it with Reese Cups, Payday or Snickers and it’ll be like the best PB&J you’ve ever had.

Like spice? I say double up. Shiraz and Red Hots or Hot Tamales are where it’s at. Shiraz is a powerhouse

Totally Baked Pizza opens on High Street

BY DEREK KREIDER, GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER

A

kron can officially welcome a new addition to its thriving pizza infrastructure.

Located at 18 North High Street, Totally Baked Pizza held a grand opening business shower and ribbon cutting on Monday, October 4. Councilwoman Tara Samples and Mayor Dan Horrigan wielded the scissors for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

John Taylor, co-owner of Totally Baked Pizza, says the event is all about community. He says, “We are inviting our whole block,” not just to introduce his new business, but to also showcase other local shops on the block.

“We’re tying it in with High Street Hop House, Baxter’s Speakeasy, Akronym, The Botanist, Akron [Coffee] Roasters, the Nightlight,” Taylor says. “It’s about bringing people together and showing them who and what we are.”

The event began at 4 pm with a ticketed pre-party for sponsors. At 4:45 doors opened to the public, followed by the ribbon cutting at roughly 5:15 that evening.

In December 2020, Taylor, and fellow Totally Baked co-owner Ari Vandendriessche built a menu of Argentine cuisine for NoHi featuring something called a Fugazzetta, a stuffed crust Argentinian pizza, says Taylor. “That’s how the ball got rolling. We were like, yeah, man, maybe we could do a pizza shop.”

Lock 15 Brewing Company, where Taylor is the head chef, features Totally Baked’s creations.

To distinguish themselves from the pack, Taylor says they’ve taken a number of steps, including using homemade ingredients, aside from their imported four-cheese blend.

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“We make our pizza sauce in-house, we make our pesto sauce, we make our gorgonzola cream, we make our tomato-oregano oil, we make our meatballs in-house,” Taylor says.

However, due to the size of the shop, Totally Baked is getting their dough from Feddersen’s Bakery in Huron.

Feddersen’s, Taylor says, was chosen because it “represents who we [Taylor and Vandendriessche] are as chefs, and what we would do as chefs with pizza dough.”

The vibe, according to Taylor, will also set Totally Baked apart from other pizza joints.

“We are completely focused not just on the product, but we are focused on our people—the guests,” says Taylor. That means cultivating an atmosphere where people can feel at home.

“You’re allowed to chill. You can sit in here from the time we open to the time we close; we’re not going to ask you to move,” Taylor says. “It’s all about community here.”

Sponsors of the event are expressing faith in Totally Baked Pizza’s mission.

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and can take it. Trust me on this one, it’s the way to go, especially if it snows on Trick or Treat.

Of course, friends, the theme here is have a good time. Drink what you like, eat what you like and maybe along the way you’ll find what you love. Cheers!

Jessica is TDS’ Director of Membership and resident wine expert.

Tom Eaton, owner and president of Rafter Equipment Corporation and co-owner of Lock 15, put his weight behind Totally Baked Pizza because of his experience with Taylor at the brewery. “I’ve worked with him over the last several years on Lock 15; he’s a huge reason for our success,” says Eaton. “I would back anything that John’s a part of.”

Summit County Judge Alison Breaux is sponsoring Totally Baked because of a sense of community similar to Taylor’s.

“I just want to support local businesses,” says Breaux, “especially those that are downtown, because I think it’s a really thriving area, and I want to do anything I can to promote that.”

Totally Baked Pizza is coming for your expectations, Taylor says.

“This is a different pizza shop,” he says. “It has that mom-and-pop feel, we’re using recipes that are tried and true and we’re challenging the palates of everyone. We’re not your regular pizza shop; we’re totally different and we feast on that.” \\Derek Kreider is distribution manager and a general assignment reporter for The Devil Strip.

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burdens in their walks through life.

Here is some of what I am thinking about as I watch another turn of the calendar year and add another digit to the years I have lived:

Another Turn

BY MARC LEE SHANNON FOR TDS PHOTO: ANGELO MERENDINO The end of summer is at hand, and in the air is the scent of fall. The trails in the Cuyahoga Valley are calling me, whispering that a magic change is coming. Soon we will all be dancing in the swirling colors of the deciduous trees, searching to find our favorite fall jackets, and maybe reflecting and looking in the rearview mirror of the summer of 2021.

The month of September has always been exceptional for me as it holds the anniversary of my birth, and just like every year, it comes and goes with a turn of a page with some unexpected twists and turns. It is my story, and it rises and falls every 365 days. This year, I have been reminded so personally and painfully that it will reach its conclusion at some point.

For now, though, I do feel that there are still some exciting chapters yet to unfold.

The year is three quarters finished, and so far, there is much for which to be grateful. I am not going to riff on the things in my life that I am fortunate to have and enjoy. Instead, I want to be mindful of the human beings that occupy the cast and characters of my private play and fill my story pages. After all, our tales will be remembered and told by those left in that virtual credit roll at the end of our life’s movie. The ones that remember our life in the way that it touched their hearts or eased their

Happiness is an inside job. It’s a daily decision to remember what is good about myself. Forget about that nagging head voice that occasionally mentions that comment your 7thgrade teacher said about you that one time. And that poor lady? She was doing her best, even if she was always cranky and maybe a little hungover. Forgive her and yourself every day.

Your principles and values define your life brand. The thing everyone sees coming when you walk into a room. Let them speak before your words are heard, and your voice will carry influence. Be the last to comment, and the softest articulated opinion, and your purpose will ring.

Leadership is always about trust, and trust is about being trustworthy. Be authentic because originality is almost always redundant and replayed by bad actors. No one is genuinely original, but many are amazingly authentic. Pick the right one for yourself.

A good pet is a gift. Loyalty from a dog is the best example of what is good in life, and I should pay more attention to this. My best friend Martin (the dog) is the one thing that is the constant sparkle in my day.

All he wants is to be my best friend.

Nothing else matters to that gentle spirit with the big brown eyes and the best dog breath smile. That is all he wants. And some more of that salty, crunchy thing you just dropped on the floor.

Food is for living and is one of the best rewards. It’s not the enemy.

When I enjoy it in moderation, I am happy. Less is always, really, more.

True love is hard to find and harder to hold. Our hearts can seem like a broken-down hotel full of rooms with leftover half-eaten sandwiches. We all need a comforting turn down,

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

maybe a visit from room service from time to time, and help to find our room after a long day. It gets dark sometimes and lonely, too. The good news is that we should be all right by morning. Speaking personally and all, I guess I wouldn’t change a thing.

I have been fortunate and have had the chance to love some beautiful human beings. It has not always lasted as long as I wanted, but that story is not over as long as I breathe.

You just never know what is around the bend and down the road. You just never know.

Family. Oh, my word! I would like to state that I define my family as the humans who show up when glass and metal lie in the street and red lights flash in the rain. Who is standing next to you when the sink is overflowing, the car won’t start, a foul smell is coming from under the fridge, and everything seems broken?

Look around. Who is there for you when you need to say, “please help me?” Whoever it is you are thinking of right now, let me introduce you to your real family. Cheers.

Social media. Ugh, it can be worse than the wrong drugs. And like the good drugs, you should only take them when needed, or the doctor says it’s OK. Otherwise, use with extreme caution and when it’s the last resort.

Anger. Me being at my worst. No possible good result ever was decided amid my wrath. Step away.

Friends and Frenemies. I am blessed with some very exceptional people in my life, but that blessing comes with some hard decisions. Who to let in my life and who to lock out.

Not everyone who comes around gets to stay, and I have been more careful to smile and say no to the toxic personalities that do not enrich my life.

harmed or have caused unintentional harm to another has been a problem for me. Just like my favorite jeans will occasionally have to go back in the water, soap, and rinse cycle, then hung up in my kitchen to dry, there is no permanent getting clean with the art of forgiveness. Pick a day. Maybe it’s Monday. Just spend the whole damn day letting go of the hatred, hurt and ill will to others, and you will feel so much better. Then get ice cream.

What you think, you are. That is the simplest, most important thing I have learned. And yes, I am pretty sure of this.

Gratitude. I am so humbled that many of you tackle reading this and all the other Sober Chronicles I have put out since July 2019. It means a great deal to me that I get to do this, and your comments and emails are the best. Please, stay in touch. Tell me what you want to hear about going forward.

So for now, and until the next turn.

Be Kind. Start with yourself. Stay standing and, Steady On, Marc Lee Shannon is an Akron, Ohio native and member of TDS Board of Directors in the seat of Working Artist and can be reached at: marcleeshannon@gmail.com. Listen to “Recovery Talks: The Podcast” from 91.3 The Summit at: www. recoverytalks.org, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Find his music on bandcamp. com. Contact photographer Angelo at Angelo@angelomerendino.com.

Forgiveness. The act of forgiveness begins with me. I am a perfectly flawed human with a great deal of grime, grit, and stinky life laundry that requires frequent washing.

Learning to let go when I have been

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m l e t p p

h h t n p t t y

THE GERMAN AMERICAN HALL

BY CHARLOTTE GINTERT FOR TDS PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE GINTERT

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kron has always been a home for immigrants and refugees.

Since its sleepy days as a small canal town to today, the city has been the destination for many seeking safety and a new life.

From 1840 to 1880, Germans were the largest refugee group to arrive in the United States and many made Akron their new home.

1848 was a year of revolution in Europe. Germany at this time was a loose confederation of independent states ruled by the aristocracy, very different from the Germany we are familiar with today. The German revolutionaries’ goal was to unite these states and create a new German democratic state, similar to the American model. The revolution ultimately failed, and the aristocracy retained their power.

When the revolution failed, those who participated were under threat of imprisonment and execution.

If they were able, many fled the German Confederation as quickly as possible, becoming known as the “Forty-Eighters.” The United States was the most popular destination and Germans continued to be the largest

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immigrant population to arrive in the United States until World War I. Akron had been home to Germans since its founding in 1825. There were so many Germans here that it had its own German Music Hall and German language newspaper.

Some of its most revered citizens were German immigrants, such as Ferdinand Schumacher, of oatmeal fame, and Paul E. Werner, the successful publisher.

Like any immigrant group that arrives in a new city, they lived in the same neighborhoods and shaped them for generations to come. In Akron, one such neighborhood was “Goosetown,” which is now known as University Park. The name came from the geese the first generation German families brought from home and kept in their yards. The neighborhood was approximately bounded by East Exchange Street, South Street, Spicer Street and Washington, now Wolf Ledge Parkway.

While the old Burkhardt Brewery and Concordia Lutheran Church are more well-known landmarks, a few other vestiges of the old neighborhood still remain. If you head south on Grant Street, over the interstate and past the Front Porch Cafe, you will come

across the old German American Hall at 835 Grant St. It is a large, blocky, brick building of unremarkable architecture. The most notable feature are two small medallions with heraldic shields, high above the front entrance.

Although it may not be exciting to look at, this building represents a notable time in Akron’s immigrant story. It was built in 1929 by the German-Hungarian Mutual Aid Society. At the time, this was one of the largest German language charitable organizations in Akron.

Their mission was to assist the many Eastern European refugees who fled the former Austro-Hungarian Empire during and after World War I. Many of these immigrants had experienced severe trauma and arrived impoverished. The society helped them find jobs in the rubber factories, buy or build houses and adjust to their new home. The Hall hosted community events and sponsored traditional musical groups. It was a place to connect, recover and begin a new life. Such organizations are the bedrock of immigrant communities, which often discover that they must find ways to independently help each other, especially when they are discriminated against by the local

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population.

There was a severe anti-German sentiment in the United States during World War I. While earlier Germans had certainly experienced discrimination in the 19th Century, the War raised the xenophobia to a new level. In Ohio, German books were burned, teaching the language was banned in schools, and German place names were changed. This antiGerman sentiment continued through World War II. Having a refuge like the Hall to come together in their free time was very important for the mental health of the community.

By the 1950’s the mutual aid society was dissolved and ownership passed to The German Family Society of Akron. This club was founded by the congregation of St. Bernard’s in 1955.

The German Family Society remained on Grant Street until 1973 when it moved to its current home at Donau Park in Brimfield Township. Today, the building is home to the Community of Christ Church. //Charlotte Gintert is an archaeologist and a photographer. You can check out her photos at www. capturedglimpses.com and follow her on Instagram at @capturedglimpses.

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October Horoscope

BY ANGIE AGNONI FOR TDS

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e enter October with six out of eight planets in our solar system in Retrograde motion. Which means, even though life seems to be moving fast, things energetically are a little held up until the middle of the month. Use the first part of October to finish up any old projects that have been lingering.

A new moon in the sign of Libra happened on October 6. If you have a birthday on or around this time, the whole year will suggest new beginnings in the area of partnerships. You can especially look to the first half of February 2022 for this to really flourish. Regardless of your birthday, it is a time for all of us

to plant seeds of intention with the ability to consider every problem that is presented to us, in a way that is just and fair-minded. Libra is the sign of balanced scales.

The mid-month time is when you might feel the desire to implement action to the plans you have been conjuring in your mind while Mercury was retrograde (since September 27.)

You might decide to finally reach out to the person who has been running through your mind. Business ideas may take hold at this time because our two enterprising planets, Jupiter and Saturn, located in Aquarius will move direct in their motion. Things may move full steam ahead with your ideas and social networks.

An intense time period will take place near the Aries full moon on October 20. You may feel the urge to be reactive with your emotions. Take the steps to pause and breathe through any situation when you feel your blood is about to boil and remember, God, the Universe, etc. won’t give us any more than we can handle.

Another aspect during this time is that you may discover something very new about your being, as Aries is a sign that has a strong awareness of self.

Overall, the time period of Libra invites us to find balance in our world. Akron is lucky. We get to experience four seasons. The symmetry and artistic essence of Libra is beautifully orchestrated in nature,

As we transition from Libra to Scorpio and we find ourselves in peak foliage, nature's greatest show, before we take an inward dive into the depths of our psyche, where we can discover inner transformation that only the zodiac sign of Scorpio delivers during the corresponding time when we watch the leaves fall.

Angie Agnoni is a teaching and consulting astrologer with an office in Barberton. She is a graduate of The International Academy of Astrology (IAA) and is VP of Lake County Astrological Association (LCAA). To book a session: www.Calendly.com/ AngieAgnoni

pause before starting something new.

Swords represent matters of the head.

T he Ace of Cups opens up to the heavens, showing us to open up to the blessings that fill our cups.

Fruitful emotional connections and strong relationships will come to the forefront. Cups represent matters of the heart.

h

.

during the onset of fall.

As above, so below.

October Tarotscope BY: ALLYSON SMITH, TDS GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER

T

he Fall Equinox just passed, a day of the year where daylight and darkness are equal. Settling into the fall season, we are asked to confront death. In a literal, physical way for the abundance of nature that summer brought; but also in a

metaphorical way. It’s time to leave behind our old selves in search of something new.

In October, we are reminded of the ancient concept, “As above, so below.” This is to remind us of the cycles of life, full of its ups and downs, good and bad, light and dark, hot and cold.

While most of the readings I write about can be broken down one card at a time, this month’s spread is a full message.

Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine

The Ace of Swords reversed, Ace of Cups, and The Hermit.

They remind us this month that no matter where we are in life, who we are, what we do, we are all a part of the same universe, the same cycle.

The stars in the sky, the seeds in the ground, and us humans in between.

As above, so below.

The reversed Ace of Swords points down, encouraging us to be grounded in our thinking, especially when it comes to new endeavors and new ideas. Now is the time to

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In tarot, The Hermit is the keeper of spiritual and esoteric knowledge. During this time of year, it’s time to follow The Hermit and let ourselves be guided into a deeper understanding of ourselves and the universe around us.

It’s time to learn how we are connected to one another and everything around us. We are not the masters of nature, the world, or the universe. We are another piece of its puzzle.

The Hermit is here to teach us, “as above, so below”.

This reading is for entertainment purposes only.

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URINE LUCK WITH EMILY DRESSLER

This is just what my face looks like now.

Akron Coffee Roasters

BY EMILY DRESSLER

W

elcome to the bathroom misadventure column. I started out at Akron Coffee Roasters on High Street and enjoyed a lovely Honey Cortada.

I forgot about the labyrinthian connection between downtown buildings, and it turns out that Akron Coffee Roasters shares a bathroom with the Nightlight Theater. Avid readers will remember that we’ve already reviewed those bathrooms.

Initially, I thought that, with this review, Marissa and I would have furthered our High Street bathroom review takeover downtown. The takeover is not complete yet, but it’s a one-way street and we will keep going until all the bathrooms have been seen.

Defeated, I got back into my car and let the construction traffic carry me down West Market, so I went to Nervous Dog, because I thought

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I should have MORE coffee and MORE bathrooms.

a shade of brown. I guess the baristas and ballerinas got together and decided on… brown?

If you’re anything like me, the bathrooms at Nervous Dog make you nervous. I mean, first you have to ask for the key, which is basically like saying “I HAVE TO PEE PLEASE HELP.” But, I had ordered a pound of ground coffee, which comes with a free any-size coffee, tea or iced coffee. So, I really did have to go.

To dry your hands, you can use the air dryer on the wall or some of the paper towels on the sink. Who knows how often those are restocked. Or you can be a gross daredevil and not wash your hands, but I’m pretty sure they arrest you for that now or maybe you just die.

Because I appreciate all the encouraging signs pointing me in the right direction and because this bathroom is clean but boring, I’m rating it 4/5 toilets.

Emily Dressler co-writes Urine Luck with Marissa Marangoni. Emily is also on the The Devil Strip Board of Directors.

The only decor in the bathroom is a sign about handwashing, which is more a sign of the times than a decor choice. Or maybe it’s in the genre known as Covidsign decor. Pretty sure that’s actually a category now.

The best part about Nervous Dog bathrooms is that you get to walk down the hallway with some jingle bells in your hand feeling a bit like a doofus. But bathroom reviewing is an important job. Do you know how many times I’ve been to the Nervous Dog and have not used the bathroom? Too many to count. mostly because of this jingle bell keychain.

Bathroom still life.

As I’m walking down the hallway, I really appreciate all the signs telling me I’m going in the right direction.

Seriously, that is helpful because I am often in doubt, usually because I have not fully listened to directions.

It doesn’t take long before I realize that I am once again using a shared bathroom. As they are in the same building, the Nervous Dog shares a restroom with the Martel Tu dance studio. Oh well, there is nothing to be done about this. I don’t have time for yet more coffee and more shared bathrooms, Akron.

The bathroom has three stalls and lots of brown — small brown tiles, beige doors, boring colors abound.

The sink is white and so is the toilet paper. Pretty much everything else is

October 2021 · Vol 9 · Issue #10

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Ideastream Public Media and WKSU public radio are entering into a public service operating agreement to create one of Northeast Ohio’s largest news organizations!

Building on decades of award-winning journalism from two of the region’s leaders in news and information, this agreement will expand public service journalism for our region.

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