Downtown

the jake, er, progressive field chosen as one of best ballparks for craft beer fans
In a Daily Mail feature titled, "Best Baseball Stadiums for Craft Beer Around the Country," Cleveland's Progressive Field makes the grade.
 
"As the weather warms up, there’s not much we’d rather do than spend a Saturday at the ballpark," writes Clare Goggin Sivits. "Going to a game is always thrilling, from the rush you feel the first moment you walk through the tunnel and that emerald green field opens up before you to the memories brought back from games you experienced years ago. Even for the casual sports fan, baseball is the perfect excuse to chow down on a hot dog, nibble some nachos, and wash it all down with a beer… or three."
 
Sadly, most parks charge way too much for beer that is way below our standards. Some parks, though, buck trend by offering up great craft beer choices.
 
"Granted, you should probably have to have a reason aside from beer to actually go to these places -- say, you want to see a baseball game? But if you end up at one of these ballparks, you can count on finding a good pint of beer instead of the lame beer options you’d have to settle for elsewhere."
 
 #13: Progressive Field, Cleveland
 
Home Team: Cleveland Indians
 
"The Indians can boast a new partnership with the likes of the New Belgium Brewing Company (makers of the amazing Fat Tire), and Great Lakes Brewing Co (who can boast the killer Great Lakes Eliot Ness). This season is looking up -- the stadium lowered its (previously pretty exorbitant) concession stand prices last year, and also offers ultra-cheap PBRs, just in case."
 
Read the rest right here.

if you build it: area advocates work to get cameras rolling on cleveland film industry
Watching Cleveland getting rocked for two hours in Captain America is great, but when the rush fades and reality creeps in, we're left with no guarantee Hollywood is ever going to return. A group of area stakeholders is advocating for changes that would attract more film projects, or even a prestige TV drama, to the North Coast.
state of downtown is strong, but greater connectivity between amenities is needed, say leaders
Downtown Cleveland was named one of the top cities for millenials to live by The Atlantic, with more than 1,000 new housing units coming online, and major projects like Flats East helping to reenergize formerly moribund parts of downtown. These are just a few of the successes listed in Downtown Cleveland Alliance's 2013 annual report, and touted at this week's State of Downtown forum at the City Club.

Yet more needs to be done to connect downtown's assets, including public realm improvements, pedestrian- and bike-friendly amenities, and especially lakefront connections. These were the messages conveyed by leaders at the forum.

"We're no longer in the 'big box' phase," said Joe Marinucci, President and CEO of DCA. "Now our challenge is, how we can incrementally connect the investments."

Marinucci pointed to Perk Park, a revamped green space at East 12th and Chester, as an example of a successful strategy for creating public improvements.

Now DCA has launched Step Up Downtown, an initiative to engage residents and stakeholders in envisioning the future of downtown. With abundant plans in place, the goal is to prioritize which enhancements to focus on first, garner feedback from residents, and drill down to the implementation phase.

"This initiative recognizes that we've made a lot of investments downtown, but in many ways haven't connected the investments as well as we should," said Marinucci. "We need to make the public realm as attractive as the destinations."

Attendees posed questions about connecting to the waterfront, making downtown accessible to all income levels, and prioritizing educational opportunities for families.

Marinucci cited lakefront development plans, the incorporation of affordable housing into downtown projects and DCA's work with Campus International School and the Cleveland Municipal School District as signs of progress.


Source: Joe Marinucci
By Lee Chilcote
no 'mistake' about it: cleveland launches new rebranding effort
Northeast Ohio's convention and visitors bureau wants to change the conversation about Cleveland. The multifaceted branding enterprise is designed to bridge a communications gap that ideally will be crossed by millions of business and leisure visitors over the next few years.
latest report shows that cle is gaining, not losing, jobs
Despite the disheartening news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) monthly jobs reports, the latest news is that Cleveland actually is gaining jobs and moving forward.

The BLS’ monthly jobs report shows that Cleveland lost 2,100 jobs since May 2012, more than any other metropolitan area in the country. However, the latest BLS report, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), released last week, shows that Cleveland in fact gained 7,669 jobs in the third quarter of 2013. While this report takes a little longer to come out than the monthly report, it is much more accurate. Cleveland had an average of 992,570 employed between May and September of 2013.
 
The difference, says Team NEO CEO Tom Waltermire, is that the monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) report is based on data from only six percent of the country’s business community, while the QCEW is based on data from 98 percent of businesses.
 
“The CES data is very premature and should never have been released,” says Waltermire. “The numbers are so preliminary they’re inaccurate. What it means for Cleveland is we have been subjected to nine months of regular and increasingly inflammatory headlines that report we’re the worst big city region from a jobs perspective. That is not the case.”
 
The latest QCEW report marks the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year job growth in Northeast Ohio.
 
Team NEO is now working to reverse the impressions created by the monthly reports. The organization has teamed up with Cleveland State’s Levin College of Urban Affairs and the Cleveland Federal Reserve to better analyze the data. Team NEO also is working with the Greater Cleveland Partnership in lobbying Ohio’s congressional representatives about the way employment data is released.
 
“People should think of the economy in Cleveland as gradually growing,” says Waltermire. “Every month has shown a higher number of jobs than the year before. We’re on a winning streak here.”

 
Source: Tom Waltermire
Writer: Karin Connelly
#thisiscle promo video goes viral in 3- 2- 1...
On Wednesday, Positively Cleveland, the convention and visitors bureau for Cleveland, announced a new destination brand, presented new plans for its destination development initiatives, unveiled a local social media movement and highlighted a series of organizational accomplishments.
 
But without question, the most buzzed about element of the package was the following video, "A Cleveland Anthem," which promotes the theme: "Cleveland doesn’t follow anyone’s rules – it makes its own."



2nd annual maker faire showcases what crafty clevelanders are up to
The second annual Mini Maker Faire will be held on Saturday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the downtown Cleveland Public Library. This free event not only showcases some of the innovative ideas local makers have explored, it is also a hands-on event where attendees can learn to knit, or even create an LED light. It’s all about the growing maker movement, which includes everyone from tech enthusiasts and crafters to scientists and garage tinkerers.
 
“It’s an interesting movement,” says Mini Make Faire organizer James Krouse. “The maker movement runs the spectrum of people working in robotics and 3D printing to the more traditional people who do knitting. But it’s a thought process of how something is made.”
 
Approximately 100 exhibitors will be at this year’s Faire, including MakerGear, a Beachwood-based manufacturer of 3D printers and Robogaia Industries, which will have its web-controlled robot on hand. Threadwitch Light and Fabric, which specializes in electronic textiles, will teach guests how to light up a simple LED, while the Red Heart Method will teach metal hand-stamping for jewelry and kids’ crafts.
 
Many of the exhibitors will be selling their creations, but sales are not the primary goal of the event.
 
"It’s the world’s greatest show and tell,” says Krouse. “It’s where people say, ‘I’m going to show off what I’m doing.’”
 

Source: James Krouse
Writer: Karin Connelly
toledo blade previews cleveland international film festival
In an article in the Toledo Blade titled, "Cleveland to heat up for film lovers," Kirk Baird previews the Cleveland International Film Festival, which he labels as Ohio’s biggest such event.
 
"The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) line-up of more than 350 independent films isn’t for everyone, particularly those who prefer movies with celebrity names in the credits," Baird writes. "But for those open to the concept of film as true art rather than commercial enterprise, the long-running festival has much to satisfy the soul and mind."
 
Baird goes on to offer a rundown of the offerings, noting the staggering growth of the decades-old event.
 
 "Now in its 38th year, CIFF is a prominent regional -- and certainly Ohio’s biggest -- film festival, with a combined audience of 95,000 film lovers and filmmakers from around the world expected to attend -- a staggering growth in audience from its first year in 1977 when only eight friends watched a few weekend films at the festival’s first home, Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights."
 
Read the entire article here.

on the rise: four emerging african-american leaders in cleveland
Those among us that emerge to the forefront of their professions and community have been honing their leadership skills for some time. Here are a few young African-Americans making waves around town through advocacy, talent and so much more.
trending: how the paleo crowd is grazing the north coast
Mention the phrase "Paleolithic diet" and many will conjure the image of Fred Flintstone gnawing on a giant dinosaur leg. But nothing could be further from the truth, say adherents. The culinary movement is thoughtful, green, healthy and spreading like wildfire across Northeast Ohio.
grrl power: encouraging more female riders key to city's cycling health
If women indeed are the barometer of a healthy cycling city, then making women feel safe while cycling in Cleveland must be a priority, say local biking advocates. Female riders are less likely to cycle without infrastructure that makes them feel safe, including separated bike paths and physical barriers on roads that divide bikes and cars.
festival insiders, fans and volunteers offer their take on cultural event of the year
To say the Cleveland International Film Festival -- now in its 38th year -- has staying power is an understatement. In order to get a street level view of the event, Fresh Water sat down with some true insiders to get the skinny on what makes the CIFF tick and how to make the most of it.