Endangered Cleveland List

I've decided to keep a running list of local institutions that I know are having hard times, or could otherwise use my money because they're so small and niche that lots of people don't know about them.

Could be restaurants, shops, museums, whatever. Please feel free to add to it!

Beck Center for the Arts
Lucy's Sweet Surrender
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Ohio Historical Society (not Cleveland, I know, but....)
Cleveland Women's Orchestra

Most of these links are to stories about the troubles these places are having.

What do you think is worth saving?

The challenge works

Today's cleveland.com story about tuition at Oberlin is the best example I've seen yet about why you should take my cleveland.com challenge. After a few typical knee-jerk potshots, the discussion starts to approach intelligence! Why? Because intelligent people join in the conversation -- and the stock negative one-liners peter out considerably.

RBCA-Recommended Weekend Activities

Here are three things you should go to this weekend. Due to an unfortunate stroke of luck, I'll be unable to attend any of them, so I am trusting you to go in my place.

Steel Saturday at the Western Reserve Historical Society. Understanding the steel industry is crucial to understanding Cleveland. In particular, attend the talk by Margaret Burzynski-Bays, Curator of Manuscripts, on the LTV Steel Manuscript Collection. This was a massive project that took two years to process and won recognition from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Also, archival collections are awesome -- they are pure history, raw, unfiltered, uninterpreted by scholars or talking heads. They allow you to see what happened through your own eyes and draw your own conclusions. Activities start at 11 am, Saturday April 4; archives talk at 1 pm. Free to members and with museum admission. More details here.

Cesky Sen, or Czech Dream, at the Cleveland Cinematheque. From the Cinematheque website:

"an elaborate anti-consumerist hoax staged by two Czech film students, who advertised the construction of a new (but totally made-up) Wal-Mart-stye megastore on the outskirts of Prague."

When we were at the Cinematheque last night, John Ewing went on about how he'd balked at getting this film. "Who would want to see that?" he said. Well, let me say this: this is the only movie I've ever drawn a ring of stars around on my film schedule. I cannot believe I can't go. Friday April 3, 7:30 pm, or Saturday April 4, 5:30 pm. $8.

The Hidden Cleveland tour. It's just what it sounds like, and you get to go inside the Cleveland Trust Rotunda. Which would be frankly awesome. Sunday, April 5, 2 pm at 3615 Superior Ave. $25.