The two-day Cleveland Asian Festival gets going later this month in AsiaTown, with plenty of food, music, dancing, demonstrations, and other fun! Festival admission and parking are free, too!

Maddie Cantrell a painting major and rising senior at the Cleveland Institute of Art, lost both of her grandparents suddenly. This week, she opens her exhibit "Living with Grief” at Hospice of the Western Reserve's bereavement center as part of a project through the CIA Creativity Works—a self-initiated internship for visual art and craft + design majors designed to support professional development.

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture this week approved a resolution to Cuyahoga County Council, requesting an increased cigarette tax levy be placed on the November ballot to generate revenue so it can continue to fund nonprofit arts and culture organizations. If approved, CAC will work with Assembly for the Arts and Assembly for Action to gain support for the tax increase.

Last week, CHN Housing Partners and a host of partners opened the Louise C. Stokes Scholar House—a project eight years in the making—to provide parents attending school full time an affordable, safe place to live with wrap-around services. The new residents are just steps away from Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus and Cleveland State University, or a short drive from Lorain County Community College School of Nursing.

Now in its seventh year of friendly competition, The Big Clean between volunteers in the City of Euclid and the Collinwood neighborhood spent last Saturday picking up trash and debris in a massive spring cleaning. Read on to find out which community won and how much total trash was collected.

Morris Ervin overcame a troubled past to become a passionate educator and advocate for social justice. His memoir, “Reflections of a Troubled Black Man,” recounts his transformation and his ongoing work to foster empathy and inclusivity in challenging environments. Ervin will host a book signing infused with music and meditation at The Yoga Lab, reflecting his journey and mission.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading into the NBA playoffs this Saturday when they will host the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in the first two games of the seven-game series. The Cavs marketing team is building excitement all over town with signage, building wraps, swag, rallies, and other events.

In early April, the City of Cleveland, Enterprise Community Partners, Cuyahoga Land Bank, CHN Housing Partners, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless united with Rocket Community Fund to unveil the Make It Home Cleveland program. Aiming to address tax foreclosure and improve Black homeownership rates in East Side neighborhoods, the initiative offers renters the chance to become homeowners through financial support and housing stability services.

With hundreds of feature and short films to choose from at the upcoming Cleveland International Film Festival, We chose two films with Cleveland ties to highlight: "What's Next?," the story of a 101-year-old physician, and "American Delivery," a documentary on the vital work of nurses in addressing the country's maternal mortality epidemic. The MetroHealth System is featured and Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing worked on the film's advisory team.

Jason Toth's 2022 photo of a willow tree at Edgewater Beach sparked a transformative journey as he dealt with his POTS diagnosis. Two years later the former marketing exec has a booming career in Photographic Pop Art with J Toth Art in City Goods, and currently has an exhibit at Kaiser Gallery in Hingetown.

With a degree in games and simulation from the Emerging Technology and Business Design department at Miami University, Cleveland Heights resident, game designer, and Dungeons & Dragons pro Deckard Manne is releasing his Myrwoods D&D campaign book on Kickstarter next week—suited for gamers at all levels or people who enjoy delving into mythical fantasy worlds.

The 14th annual Dyngus Day promises a fusion of Polish tradition and local culture on closed streets in Gordon Square Arts District, around Happy Dog, and in Gordon Green. Revelers will enjoy polka, pierogis, and beer, while showing city spirit and a strong community bond.

After years of planning and collaborating, the next step in Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation's Innovation Square Neighborhood Plan—Aura at Innovation Square—became a reality this week with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services and Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry announced that the 2100 Lakeside Men’s Shelter is opening a newly renovated addition to the largest homeless shelter in Ohio. The new shelter will have about 400 beds with more personal space and more privacy.

On March 1, LAND studio and Shaker Heights Public Library unveiled The Readers Garden, a public art installation by landscape architect Haemee Han, that features a reading porch of five clusters of larger-than-life books written by 13 local authors with ties to Shaker and the Cleveland area. The project celebrates Shaker's diversity and rich culture of reading and writing.

Cleveland Independents has launched its annual Cleveland Restaurant Week, with $39 prix fixe three-course dinners offered by 40 area restaurants, like The Reserve Chagrin Falls and Batuqui, through Saturday.

Just in time for Women's History Month, the Cleveland Museum of Art will host MIX: Women on Wax this Friday, when groundbreaking DJ Minx and Cleveland DJ Red-I keep the Ames Family Atrium hopping while celebrating women in the DJ culture.

The City of South Euclid has more than 60 acres of parks in its four square miles, each with a wealth of recreation options. South Euclid Parks and Recreation director Daniel Subwick wants to add healthy eating to the menu at Bexley Park—the city's largest and most popular park.

Filmmaker Johnny Wu's newest film, "Bullets, Brothers and Blood," featuring a diverse cast, delves into a gripping tale of mistaken identity amid a crime-ridden town. The film premieres this Saturday.

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and other County and the City of Cleveland officials, Re:Source Cleveland, and Global Cleveland recently celebrated the opening of the Cuyahoga County Welcome Center, aimed at supporting the area's diverse immigrant and refugee population. The hub provides essential services to help newcomer populations feel right at home. The new center earned a “Certified Welcoming” designation by Welcoming America.