Community

Northeast Ohioans never let a little bad weather stop them.  Despite cold, drizzly weather, two communities came together to make a difference. Keep Euclid Beautiful kicked off a week long cleanup for Euclid with their first big event, The Big Clean.   Collinwood neighbors joined with Euclid neighbors, competing to clean their streets by picking up litter on a Saturday morning.  hanks to our host for the event, Villa Angela- St. Joseph High School, volunteers met to pick up supplies donated by Keep America Beautiful, Jim O’Hare, Marty Miller, QRS Supplies, Shore Cultural Center, Euclid Hospital, and Enviro Chemical.  VASJ Students helped guide participants through their school and served fresh coffee donated by Blackwater Roasters and scrumptious doughnuts donated by Dunkin Donuts.  Volunteers then returned to VASJ High School after 3 hours of picking up litter to enjoy bottled water donated by Dave’s Supermarket and eat pizza and chips donated by Marco’s Pizza and Ganley Subaru of Wickliffe.   WINT/1330 radio provided background music and helped welcome special guest speakers Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, Councilman Michael Polensek and VASJ President Bill Cervenik.  While totals were being tabulated for litter collected by each community, door prizes were raffled off.  A special thanks for door prizes, financial donations and volunteer support go to Jax Printing, Paragon Restaurant & Martini Bar, Northeast Shores Development Corp., The Euclid Shade Tree Commission, Dave Carlson, Marche-N-Haab Beauty Salon, Garden PhD, Dave Lynch, Citizen Pie, Blue Arrow Records, Chili Peppers Mexican Grill, Court Community Service and Euclid Beach adopt-a-beach team. 

Mark your calendars because you will not want to miss this outdoor movie night.  On Thursday, July 6th, 2017 at 8:30pm Euclid residents are invited to the lawn at Bluestone Elementary School (1455 E. 260th Street) for a free screening of the 2016 blockbuster movie “SING” (rated PG). The movie will begin at sun-down at approximately 9pm after brief welcome remarks.

On the evening of May 4th, over 150 people gathered at the Lakefront Community Center to honor the Class of 2016 awardees:

Large Business of the Year:  American Punch Co.
Small Business of the Year:  Eaton Family Credit Union
Large Organization of the Year:  Euclid Hospital
Small Organization of the Year:  Kiddie City Child Care Community
Business Persons of the Year:  Mr. Brian Moore and Dr. Martina Moore
Bluestone Award: Euclid Brewing Company
Bluestone Award: Lynard Zingale, Allstate Insurance Agency
Bluestone Award: Daugherty Construction
Bluestone Award: NEO Sports Plant

The Euclid Hunger Center invites you to attend the 6th Annual Kick Off Summer Event coming up on Thursday, June 15, from 6:00-9:00 pm.  The fundraiser will be held at the Pavilion at Briardale Greens Golf Course on Babbit Road.  Your $25 ticket will provide you with a picnic-style dinner, two cocktails, music, games and raffle baskets to win.  Reserved tables of 6 can also be purchased for $135.  All proceeds from the event will benefit the Euclid Hunger Center, our city's small, community food pantry, located in the Shore Cultural Centre.  Our mission is to offer a positive, compassionate environment in which to provide food assistance to eligible Euclid residents.  Last year we distributed food to an average of 600 families per month, in nearly 2,000 different households.  Our goal is to not only raise money for our operations, but also to raise awareness of the need we have within our community.  Please join us for a fun evening out, and be a part of our mission of "Neighbors helping Neighbors."  For tickets or for more information, contact Kay at 216/731-3329.

On May 8, 2017, The City of Euclid, Euclid Chamber of Commerce and Northeast Shores Development Corporation hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of Sammich, 651 E. 185th Street, Cleveland. Mayor Holzheimer Gail opened the ceremonies with a few words about the ongoing 185th-corridor improvements followed by Camille Maxwell, executive director of Northeast Shores, and Sheila Gibbons, executive director of Euclid Chamber of Commerce. Randy Carter, Sammich’s owner and owner of Jack Flaps breakfast and luncheon bistros, says, “We are proud to support the neighborhood and help the community grow to make it a better place for everyone.”

The individuals with disabilities served by HELP have some of the busiest social calendars during the summer months and we are seeking highly motivated Direct Care Workers to assist HELP with these activities. Days are filled with great outings or time outside soaking up the sun. HELP spends our summers frequenting the museums our city has to offer, taking trips to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and hosting cookouts at our various facilities.

Kazoos have been a part of my life since my teaching days at Mentor High School.  This inexpensive, portable, and versatile instrument helped me serenade students on their birthdays and teach children’s music to my Parenting and Child Development classes.  I added the kazoo element to a staff holiday party and even convinced my pastor to include kazoo music during a lively worship service.  They’ve been to Kiddie City numerous times and they’ve helped me promote the Stroll on E. 200th Street.  Why I even carry extra kazoos along in my purse in case I feel brave enough to give a lesson to an inconsolable child at the grocery store (with parent’s permission) or cheer up a friend in the hospital.  Such an attention – getter but so much fun.

On Tuesday, May 9th, the Lake Shore Garden Club was pleased to honor one of its own, the late Judy Kelly.  A flowering cherry tree was planted in her memory in the Oval of the Henn Mansion. Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail recounted Judy's dedication to our Euclid community.  Judy was a life-long Euclid resident.  She was an avid gardener with a private greenhouse.  As a 30+ year member of the more than 80 year old Lake Shore Garden Club, Judy became the resident horticulturist and winner of countless blue ribbons for her specimens. She encouraged the Garden Club to establish the perennial garden in Sims Park and oversaw its continued care. Judy and her husband Roger helped save the Henn Mansion. Roger continues to contribute to the city as a Board member of the Henn and the Euclid Historical Society. Roger, their sons, Euclid policeman Captain Kevin Kelly and Brad of the Cleveland Clinic Finance Offices, his wife Pam, and many members of the Garden Club were so pleased to be present for the ceremony. Refreshments followed in the Oval. 

The Euclid Shade Tree Commission is pleased to announce the dates of the 2017 Pond & Garden Tour.  This year the Pond & Garden Tour will take Place Friday, July 14th through Sunday, July 16th.  The Commission is also excited to announce that there will be 2 twilight Tours this year.

Editor’s note: The following news, sports, and other items were culled from the pages of the 1966 editions of the Euclid News-Journal, the city’s former weekly newspaper.

March 31 – Councilman-at-large Edward Eckart is named general chairman of a campaign to promote passage of a city charter amendment to initiate bi-partisan elections in Euclid. The “honorary” chairmen are Judge William Burns and Paul Torbett, a former city law director.

The plan was announced by Democratic leader Joe Whalen at a kick-off rally held at the Charterhouse Motel on Euclid Ave. Whalen displayed a campaign organization chart that included ward chairman Willard Schutt (Ward 1) Max Gerl and Genevieve Potts (Ward 3), and Frank Chukayne and Mike Gonakis (Ward 4).

(Introducing bi-partisan elections enabled the Democrats to field a slate of election candidates to challenge the long-dominant Coalition Party on a head-to-head basis rather than lumping all candidates together, without noting party affiliation, on the November ballot.)

Whether you buy, sell or build there are potential economic risks in every real estate and construction project, in any stage of evaluation, appraisal, purchase, funding, development, or even improvement of real property. There may also be physical or legal hurdles which must be addressed and resolved. The intricacies of purchase or sale require legal experience to guide the process and to minimize risk or legal challenges. Similarly, in any construction project, no matter how small or large, technical and legal experience are essential to implement and accomplish the goal of completion, on time, and within budget. In each and all of these individual tasks, the guidance and counsel of an experienced legal professional can make each stage of the process relatively free of delays, building and safety violations, added economic expense, and needless emotional involvement.

Do you have important documents, mail, or files laying around that you need shredded? HELP U Shred can help you out! HELP U Shred, conveniently located on Shore Center Drive, offers competitively priced contracts or drop-off options beginning at only $4.50 per box.

May 29th, 2017 marks the 87th Memorial Day Parade and Service for The City of Euclid. The Euclid Joint Veterans Council invites all organizations and individuals to participate by being a part of the parade, attending the services or by being a spectator. Graveside service will begin at 7:45 AM at Euclid Cemetery followed by a second service at St. Paul’s Cemetery. The parade will begin at 10:00 AM. This year the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1056 with Commander Richard Pecnik will lead the parade. Awards will be given for Floats, Marching Bands, Marching Units, Youth Groups and Novelty.  Parade entry forms and information can be found on the City’s web site or picked up at City Hall. You can also contact Joint Veterans Council Chairman Chuck Hill at 216-732-9339 for information or application packets. Our theme is “If You Value Your Freedom, Thank a Veteran”. We welcome all Veterans to march in our parade and to remember those who have preceded them.   

The Croatian community in Cleveland continues to flourish with the adoption of a local chapter of the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP). The national organization’s goals are to connect Croatian communities in the United States, and around the world, to build a lifetime of connections to support business, networking and social activities.

Moore Counseling & Mediation Services, Inc. (MCMS) President and CEO Dr. Martina Moore along with Vice President and COO Brian T. Moore received the Business Person(s) of the Year award Thursday, May 4th at the Euclid Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner.

Euclid Brewing Company is hosting a series of monthly presentations entitled “The Elements of Brewing,” each of which will discuss one of the key raw materials used to make beer: Hops, Malt, Yeast, and Water. Craig and Andy Martahus of Haus Malts will explore the second ingredient – Malt – on Thursday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the tap room.

Why did it take us so long to learn the answer to this equation?  After 10 years, Euclid and Collinwood plus collaboration and 200th St. and 185th St. will equal a super-sized Stroll, Walk, and Roll on Saturday, June 3rd.  The E. 200th Street Stroll volunteers and the Merchants of 185th Street invite early morning starters, late risers, and people with boundless energy to join us from 10 am to 2 pm on E. 200th Street and 2 pm to 6 pm on E. 185th Street for 2 times the fun on the Saturday after Memorial Day.  You can do the math - collaboration plus 2 streets are greater than one!

On March 21, Creating Healthy Communities piloted a nutrition education tour in collaboration with Simon’s Supermarket. The theme of the tour was “Healthy Eating on a Budget”, a theme chosen as a result of resident feedback through surveys of Simon’s Supermarket customers. Based off of the MyPlate model, a visual tool created by the USDA to illustrate a healthy, balanced meal, participants were led throughout the different aisles of the supermarket to learn about how to choose healthy foods, how to prepare them, and cost-saving shopping tips. Throughout the tour, participants were actively engaged in the hands-on activities and they asked many great questions. Simon’s staff provided fresh fruits, vegetables, and snacks, which participants appreciated and increased awareness and engagement among store workers towards the nutrition tour. The tour ended with a $10 challenge, where participants used what they learned to create their own healthy, balanced meal for $10 or less. Participants personally expressed their gratitude for this tour, saying they appreciated the time and effort put in by the CHC team and they would like to see this program continue. Our post-survey results showed that all participants were ‘very satisfied’ and they agree that their eating and shopping habits will change as a result of the tour.

The Third Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival- Juventus 2017 sponsored by the Lithuanian Folk Dance Group Svyturys in Cleveland will take place on May 20th 2017. at the Shore Culture Centre, 291 E222nd St, Euclid, Ohio  at 1:00pm. 

The event is to highlight the celebration of Lithuania’s 100th birthday on 2018..

To properly mark this anniversary, Cleveland Youth Folk Dance Group Svyturys decided to organize the dance festival JUVENTUS - 2017, naming it "Let's Light the flame of our homeland”.

The planning and preparation of the project focuses on national dance, and to preserve Lithuanian youth communication, as well as  strengthening their Lithuanian identity. The  young people learn through dance to master the Lithuanian Culture. The culture becomes its own. Dance lovers are coming to the festival already for the third time. Participating dance friends from Chicago, Toronto, Argentina. The  event has  becomes a tradition and dance lovers come to Cleveland  for the third time.
This joint concert strengthens youth ethnicity and cultural origins. 

Cleveland Folk Dance Group Svyturys directors: Ausrine Sirvinskas and Egle Zukauskas

All are welcome.

We are proud to announce Cleveland Water’s 2016 Water Quality Report is now available. This annual report provides an overview of our water quality during the past year, including testing results and information.

Now more than ever we all need to work together to make our city a better place. One of the keys to making things work better is communication. For your convenience the Observer has listed your council person with their photo and contact information below. Sure, you could call and complain, but you can also call them with good ideas, or support for how they voted on a key issue. For our system to work we have to participate. We hope that you all get involved, maybe by attending a council meeting or perhaps just reaching out to your council person to get to know them better. We hope this makes it easier.

    After six months of sorting and a frantic day of set-up, the Spring Book Sale, held by the Friends of the Euclid Public Library, will be on Saturday, April 29th and Sunday, April 30th, with a preview night for members on the 28th.
    There has been talk of raising prices, but, for this sale at least, they remain at 50¢ for hardbacks and 25¢ for paperbacks.  There will be one table of special books with higher prices. The highest standard price is $2.00 for a DVD; other audio-visual media are $1.00 or less.
    Houses don’t stretch, and neither do libraries. But every year, there are thousands of new books that people want to be able to check out. The only way to make room for them is to get rid of the old books. Fifty years ago, libraries used to burn them! Now they are given to the Friends of the Library, who sell them to make money to help the library.
    In addition, houses being the unstretchy things they are, many people have books to give away. The Friends sell those, too, everything from a 1942 wartime cookbook to a current best seller, seemingly unread. Material has been collecting the previous sale was still going on in October.
    The books are roughly sorted by broad–very broad!--library number categories. For instance, the 600s (Technology) include books on carpentry, gardening, and cooking, but also business, child care, and health. The 700s (Arts and Recreation) cover everything from fine art to football. The 000s (General Works), cover computers, trivia,  journalism, Bigfoot, and flying saucers. And the 300s (Social Sciences) contain all the stuff about human society and how it works from economics and education to politics and true crime.
    Fiction has its own category, as do mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, biographies, and large print books.
    And the children’s and young adult books are worth checking out even if you have no children; often, they have the most interesting information and the clearest pictures.

Place:        Euclid Public Library, 631 E. 222nd St., Euclid, OH 44123
Time:       Friday, April 28th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Members preview night. The library is closed, so there will be a line outside. Bring your Friends Membership card--not the same as your library card. If you can’t find the Friends card, you can be looked up at the door, or you can join for $5.00.
        Saturday, April 29th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is a good day to come; there are tons of books, and it’s not crowded.
        Sunday, April 30th, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Bag Day. You buy a paper grocery bag for $3.00 and fill it up. Your own larger bags or carts can be left outside the room to wait for you.
    The library is on East 222nd Street, north of I-90/OH-2. Coming from the freeway, turn right immediately after you see the Veterans’ Memorial, which includes a Vietnam-era tank that’s hard to miss.

Celebrate Loved Ones While Benefiting Hospice of the Western Reserve

The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses has named Hospice of the Western Reserve’s Denise DiMare of Richmond Hts. “Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse of the Year” and Bob Phillips-Plona of Westlake “Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator of the Year.” Mary Kay Tyler of Lyndhurst, vice president of quality for the nonprofit agency, was named a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing. The three honors were announced at the 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Annual Assembly in Phoenix.

This is a story of how a change in an Ohio law changed my life. While I have lived in Chicago for much of my adult life, this change brought me back on a search for my roots that led to Cleveland and Euclid. It is a search that is still ongoing.

The Young Men's Christian Association has been in the Euclid community for over half a century. The Euclid Family YMCA was founded in 1950 under the sponsorship of the Exchange Club of Euclid. In the Euclid Family YMCA early years members use to meet in a rented building. It was not untill the December of 1956 the YMCA was able to call its present building at 631 Babbitt road home. In earlier years the YMCA offered programs to young men, ages 6 to 18, to develop their Christian character in a Christian society. Fast foward to 2017 the YMCA is a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y seeks to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive, while keeping with our Christian beliefs. 

Join the Euclid Girl Scouts in stocking the shelves of the Euclid Hunger Center for summer. The Scouts will be collecting "kid-friendly" foods May 15-19 in an effort to re-stock Euclid Hunger Center's shelves for the coming summer months. Items needed include: peanut butter, jelly, mac n cheese, granola bars, cereal & pasta. They will also accept monetary donations to directly benefit Euclid Hunger Center. To donate, contact your local Girl Scout Troop or donate at the Drop Box at the Euclid Public Library. Together, we can combat hunger right here in our community!

High school juniors and seniors, don’t miss out on the chance to compete for $9,000 in college scholarship money.

On a chilly Spring Saturday afternoon in March, The First Tee of Cleveland and 11 of its young participants were out in-force learning the ins-and-outs of being a caddy as part of a training program developed by The First Tee.

As an extension of its Tap Talks series of general-interest seminars, Euclid Brewing Company (EBC) will host a four-part series of presentations that will discuss the key raw materials used to make beer: Hops, Malt, Yeast, and Water. 

        You should see the garage at my Mom’s house and my office area in the corner of our bedroom and you would know why my husband says, “Why do you keep every piece of paper that passes through your hands?”  I say, “Someday I might need it.”  This was the winter that I proved the validity of my statement because while looking at my earliest Stroll planning papers, I discovered that the Stroll didn’t begin in 2006 – 2007 was our first year. 

Q: Why shouldn't you write with a broken pencil?           

It is a great honor to serve the residents of Ward 7.  While geographically small, our ward contains a variety of homes and apartments filled with interesting, dedicated folks that care about Euclid and are working to make it better.

No matter the weather outside, stepping into Irie Jamaican Kitchen at 621 E. 185th Street is like taking a quick trip to the islands.

Education is always a hot topic: new tests, curriculum changes, and facility updates. Join Euclid Public Library and Euclid City Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Smialek on Tuesday, May 9 at 8:30 AM for breakfast and discussion about the schools, education, and new building plan. Registration begins Monday, April 17, 2017. Please call (216) 261-5300 ext. 0 to register.

Euclid Public Library strives to foster a welcoming environment while encouraging patrons to use the facility and its resources for learning and enrichment.  To preserve that opportunity, the library expects patrons to be respectful of each other and behave in a manner that does not disrupt other patrons or staff. In the past several years, we have taken a number of significant steps designed to improve the learning environment – and indeed the safety – at our library.  We have hired additional staff and police to supervise the building, increased after school programming, improved our safety and security technology, and more.  

Unfortunately, since the beginning of 2017, the library has experienced a sharp increase in disruptive behavior during after-school hours that has prevented the library from serving as a safe space for all library users.  There have been multiple harmful incidents involving youth, including fights, vandalism, assaults on police officers, and inappropriate computer usage.  This kind of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

As a result, the Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees has approved several amendments to our Library Code of Conduct and Unattended Children policies. Effective March 1st:

Proceeds from a yearlong candy bar sale at several area credit unions will provide about 1,400 meals for the Euclid Hunger Center to serve local families.

Eaton Family Credit Union and local partners are working to combat the high costs of post-secondary education by offering several scholarships for college to our Members and their family members. We are very proud to distribute the following college scholarship applications: