Waterloo & Collinwood
Waterloo - Collinwood - Photo Bob Perkoski
This former blue-collar and ethnic neighborhood is emerging as one of Cleveland's latest comeback stories. Anchored by one of the country's top live-music venues, the Beachland Ballroom, and one of the city's most robust arts organizations, Arts Collinwood, this lakeside community is experiencing a resurgence. The combination of affordable housing, a burgeoning arts community, and easy access to downtown Cleveland has been attracting out-of-state artists hungry for a higher quality of life. A flush of new businesses are expected to open en masse in late 2014 and early 2015.
Cuyahoga County Public Library and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank are continuing their partnership to address food insecurity in 2026, after serving nearly 5,000 households last year through mobile pantries, senior food boxes, and other meal programs.
Destination Cleveland issued a call for artists in its Murals Across the City program. Three artists will be chosen to create murals on Cleveland buildings—adding to the nine existing murals in city neighborhoods. Artists have until March 30 to submit their portfolios.
Cleveland's annual Brite Winter festival landed in the Waterloo Arts District last weekend, offering a much-needed winter escape with music, art, and community celebration. Brite Winter has been the winter arts and culture scene for more than 15 years, and photographer Reuben Kutash documented the 2026 version on Saturday.
The annual Brite Winter festival will ignite the Waterloo Arts District this Saturday, Feb. 21, with more than 30 bands performing on stages, interactive art installations, fire pits, and local food vendors. Headlined by local favorite LoConti, the festival starts at 2 p.m.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 24, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., people of all talents and abilities are invited to Waterloo Arts for a Brite Winter workshop to fill in life-sized figures with Day Glo paint for Cleveland's winter arts and music festival. Brite Winter debuts in its new location in the Waterloo Arts District on February 21.
The Manufacturing Sector Partnership )MSP) in Cuyahoga County has created 3,000 jobs with average annual salaries of $38,000 since its 2019 launch—generating more than $2 million in incremental tax revenue while addressing the manufacturing workforce shortage. Through MAGNET programs like ACCESS and Early College Early Career, the partnership connects underserved populations with attractive manufacturing careers.
The 20th annual "Remembering the Sights and Sounds of Euclid Beach Park" was held on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Beach Park, celebrating the legacy of the amusement park that operated from 1895 to 1969. Visitors enjoyed vintage car displays, historical exhibits, rides in the Euclid Beach Rocket Car, and nostalgic treats while exploring artifacts and memories from the park's heyday.
The Greater Cleveland Partnership's Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) has announced the winners of the eighth season of Cleveland Chain Reaction, a small business pitch competition. Daisy Makes, Be Browed Etcetera, and The Golden Room secured the top three positions.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Northeast Ohio this week donated 20,000 pounds of food to the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland, significantly boosting its food pantry supplies at a time when households are financially tight. The donation is part of the Salvation Army's "Need Knows No Season" campaign to raise awareness about year-round hunger.
The historic Euclid Beach Arch in Cleveland has been relocated as part of a renovation project spearheaded by local officials. The 1921 wooden structure, which once served as the entrance to Euclid Beach Park, will become the centerpiece of a new public park and preserve the iconic piece of Cleveland's history, is scheduled for completion in 2026.
The Beachland Ballroom, a cornerstone of Cleveland's music scene, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Founded by Cindy Barber and Mark Leddy, the venue has become a cultural hub and Collinwood advocate—hosting performances and promoting neighborhood revitalization.
The new Cleveland Housing Investment Fund (CHIF) is designed to address the city's affordable housing crisis. City officials and partners hope CHIF will create up to 3,000 affordable housing units, raise $100 million for new home construction, and preserve mixed-income rental housing.
The eighth annual The Big Clean event in April 26 will pit Euclid against Collinwood in a friendly competition to collect the most bags of trash. About 200 volunteers are expected to participate in the cleanup and an eco-fair to foster community spirit, promote environmental awareness, contribute to cleaner neighborhoods, and a healthier Lake Erie.
The FreshWater staff put together this comprehensive guide for a variety of local Cleveland holiday gift ideas. The list highlights some of our favorite products and experiences from local businesses and organizations to encourage shopping locally.
FreshWater columnist Ralph Horner goes back through 1950s and 1960s Cleveland, when he was in his childhood quest to understand the world. Horner explores local television, holiday traditions, and the beloved Euclid Beach amusement park, among other musings.
Since 2012, Bike Cleveland's Random Acts of Brightness program had ensured cyclists riding after dark are visible by distributing free rechargeable light sets to riders across the city—giving out more than 5,000 light sets in 12 years.
Slow Roll Cleveland, a community cycling group that takes leisurely 10-mile bike rides each week through various Cleveland neighborhoods, concludes its 2024 season next week with a Halloween ride—costumes and bike decorations encouraged.
Since 2017, The Literacy Cooperative has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to send free books each month to local children. Working with local groups like Heights Family Foundation, United Way, and the Bruening Foundation, the groups have now distributed two million books.
Loretta Paganini opened her International Culinary Arts and Science Institute 20 years ago to give area culinary students advanced career training. This weekend, local celebrity chefs will help raise scholarship money for the school at the Cleveland's Top Chefs event.
The 2024 Celebration of Preservation, hosted by the Cleveland Restoration Society and the American Institute of Architects Cleveland, will highlight some of the best restoration and historical architecture projects in the past year at the Ariel LaSalle Theater on May 22. The event will honor projects like the West Side Market clock tower, the conversion of the former Henry W. Longfellow Elementary School in Collinwood into affordable senior apartments, and the Ford Hessler Apartments.