When I was growing up, my mom frequently told me that I’d write a book. The next Great American Novel.

The problem? Although I loved to write and read, creative writing stressed me out. It’s not as if I lacked imagination (one day I’ll share the story of the very vivid but imaginary backstory I made up about my squirrel family). However, writing dialogue of any kind was impossible.

Instead, I loved writing essays. In the battle over afterschool activites, writing about the Marx Brothers for our local paper beat out sports every time. Pop quiz or ten-page term paper? Term paper, please.

And now, I get to do that every day at work.

Although I may not be weaving a tale as fantastical as Scott’s comics, storytelling is just as much a part of my day to day.

That’s because we all have stories to tell, whether that story is about Cleveland, raising your family, opening up a small business or — my favorite thing I’ve had the pleasure of recently editing — using cooking to teach others about promoting content.

Which is why I replied with a resounding Hell Yeah when I was asked to be one of this year’s Content Marketing World bloggers.

Not only is it amazing that the biggest content-focused conference calls Cleveland home, the best-in-class lessons I’ve learned from Content Marketing Institute over the years have been invaluable.

Because, yes, even brands have stories to tell. Stories that inspire emotion and action. Stories that connect people.

This conference is heaven for me. Getting to hear from Marriott about their global creative + content studio…or Moz’s Rand Fishkin about SEO…or Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi about his passion for the color orange? When September 8-11 rolls around, I will be living, sleeping, breathing all things content marketing. And loving it.

With this year’s theme being Bright Lights, Big Content, the conference is also bringing master storytellers from the entertainment world to Cleveland.

I got excited when I heard Barenaked Ladies will be performing the second night.
Monty Python and comic legend John Cleese? Now Scott’s jealous.
But the piece de resistance in my mind… NICK. OFFERMAN.

I may or may not have screamed while eating brunch at Cafe Melissa when I found out that Offerman would be keynoting.  (I definitely screamed.)

If you create content of any kind or work in marketing and want to check out the conference, you can learn more and register at contentmarketingworld.com. The conference blog also features some great posts on things to do around Cleveland. Then watch out Sept 8-11 when the streets will run orange with my fellow content marketing nerds.

Disclosure: I was invited to be a blogger for Content Marketing World and will receive one ticket in exchange for posting about the conference on my personal blog and social media channels. Opinions about the conference are my own.

After checking all of the entries and removing two pingbacks plus several duplicate entries, the winner as selected by Random.org is Cheryl Scheckel. Congratulations! 

If you didn’t win, I have another way you can celebrate the return of football to Cleveland … and this party is free for everyone!

PlayhouseSquare Partners’ Season KickOff Party: Enjoy a tailgate followed by outdoor showing of Draft Day

Join PlayhouseSquare Partners, the theatre district’s young professionals organization, for a Season KickOff Party and Movie this Friday night.

At dusk on September 12, PlayhouseSquare will be showing Draft Day out on the U.S. Bank Plaza. The movie’s free and part of PlayhouseSquare’s Summer Movie Series presented by Elk & Elk.

Our pre-movie kickoff will take place 5:30-8:30pm in the Idea Center’s Gund studio space on Euclid Ave. The tailgate-themed party includes:

• A Chipotle Buffet
• Cash Bar (First drink on us!)
• Ice Cream Bars
• DJ Playing Music
• and Cornhole and Other Tailgate Games

PlayhouseSquare Partners will also be there with tables and information for each of our committees and upcoming activities.

Best of all, everyone who attends the party will be the first to find out what this year’s Jump Back Ball theme is. (I’m on the board and I won’t even find out til then!)

It’s free to attend the Partners KickOff Party, and if you decide to join Partners at this event, you’ll also receive 20% off a new Partners membership (excluding Balcony’s Best $50 membership).

Just RSVP for the party by emailing sarah@playhousesquare.org. See you Friday!

Disclaimer: I’m a co-chair of PlayhouseSquare Partners’ board and involved in the hosting of the movie’s Tailgate Party.

Cleveland’s Yuri’s Night Space Party at the Great Lakes Science Center takes place April 12, 2014

On Sunday, Scott and I excitedly curled up on the couch for the premiere of Cosmos. Scott, a fan of the original with Carl Sagan; I, a fan of host Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk Radio.

A fantastic storyteller who’s able to make science more accessible and entertaining, Tyson brought us back in time and far into the universe in only the first episode.

Shows like Cosmos and StarTalk may be the closest I get to outer space. However, on April 12, I’ll be joining the world in celebrating the anniversary of the first human to get closer.

The Great Lakes Science Center, home of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, is the perfect spot for Yuri’s Night

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was launched into outer space for a 108-minute flight orbiting the Earth. For over a decade, cities around the world honor the first human spaceflight, as well as the inaugural launch of NASA’s Space Shuttle on April 12, 1981, with Yuri’s Night.

Since 2001, these Yuri’s Night events combine space-themed partying with education and outreach in honor of humanity’s past, present, and future in space.

So far this year, there are 54 parties in 13 counties, including Cleveland’s Yuri’s Night Space Party at the Great Lakes Science Center on Saturday, April 12.

I attended my first Yuri’s Night party last year, and I can tell you: the Great Lakes Science Center REALLY knows how to party. Anywhere I can do the robot to the Tetris theme song and party with Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Star Trek look-alikes is my kind of event!

Some of my favorite costumes and science experiments from last year’s Yuri’s Night Space Party

This year’s Cleveland Yuri’s Night will feature:

• Live music by Abby Normal, Vibe & Direct, DJ 41SE7EN and OZMTZ and dancing all night long
• Beer and wine – Sam Adams beer, Angry Orchard cider, Barefoot wines and light hors d’oeuvres included in ticket price while supplies last; cash bar for cocktails and special treats
• Costume contest – wear your best space-themed attire
• GLSC’s Big Science Show, cool science demos and their signature midnight balloon drop
• Special appearances by astronaut Greg Johnson, Cleveland Institute of Art, the Great Lakes Base of the Rebel Legion, Ohio Garrison / 501st Legion and the Mandalorian Mercs
• New this year: A Black Light Lounge and outdoor deck party experience (weather permitting)

Tickets also include admission to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, GLSC’s special exhibition Wildlife Rescue, and free parking in their attached garage.

Don’t wait to get your tickets: Early bird pricing of $40 is still available, but only until March 17. Ticket prices will go up to $55 per ticket on March 18. Purchase online or call 216-621-2400.

UPDATE (3/24): Enter to win 2 tickets to Yuri’s Night at Poise in Parma.

Hope to see you partying on the dance floor at this year’s Yuri’s Night

Want to learn more about Yuri’s Night?  Check out the Great Lakes Science Center’s Facebook event site here and follow @YurisNight to keep up-to-date on all of the global celebrations.

Disclosure: I will be attending with a guest as media but was going to write about the event regardless. My opinions are 100% my own.

It’s time to bust out the noisemakers and confetti. 2013 is days away from taking its final bow. How are you planning on celebrating New Year’s Eve?

If you don’t have plans yet, try one of these three parties in downtown Cleveland:

Society Lounge’s New Year’s Eve

Scott and I recently made our first trip to Society Lounge on E4th, and as we learned at their Repeal Day party, they know how to throw one classy celebration. Fine cocktails, music, a beautifully nostalgic setting. If you want to reminisce about the past while celebrating the future, join them on December 31. Lounge singer Phil Turk will be performing from 10:30pm to 1:30am, accompanied by a champagne toast at midnight. General tickets are no longer available; however, you can pick up $75 VIP tickets which include your own private table and a bottle of champagne for every two tickets purchased. See the flyer below for more information and call 216-781-9050 for tickets.

New Year’s Eve at Pura Vida

Dinner reservations are available at Public Square’s Pura Vida from 4 til 10pm. After 10, a house party takes over. Party with Pura Vida and enjoy appetizers, an open bar, a DJ, champagne toast at midnight and breakfast buffet at 1am. Tickets are $100 if you have a dinner reservation earlier in the evening ($125 if you aren’t dining before the party). VIP lounges with bottle service and a personal host are also available. Reservations are required; email Katie@puravidabybrandt.com and see their flyer below for more information.

Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square

Of course, the biggest party in downtown Cleveland will be Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve on Public Square. With special guest Drew Carey, Ohio Homecoming will bring more than 15 food trucks, local DJs, and electronic dance music group Krewella to Public Square for this outdoor NYE festival. The event will also feature live ice sculpting, a beer garden, fireworks and a countdown at midnight. This free celebration starts at 6 p.m. on December 31 and leads up to midnight. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will go to Ohio Homecoming’s Village Project. Learn more at www.ohiohomecoming.com (click on ‘Events’).

If you can’t make it downtown for NYE, there are parties going on throughout the Cleveland area. Check out WhyCLE and Anchored in CLE for more New Year’s Eve ideas.

Disclosure: Ohio Homecoming emailed me about blogging about Cleveland Rocks New Year’s Eve after I had already decided to write this post. The choice to blog about these three events is 100% my own.

Society Lounge was hopping with people dressed to the nines in honor of Repeal Day

When Society Lounge opened a short walk from my office, I badly wanted to go. However, with most of our post-work meetings happening on the other side of downtown and the now-6 degree weather keeping me from wanting to walk anywhere, I hadn’t had a chance to get there yet.

Well, I can’t think of any better reason to go than to celebrate Repeal Day.

When I opened my mailbox last month to find a glittery art-deco-inspired invitation to their Repeal Day party, Scott and I dug out our “finest” pearls and top hat to raise a glass in honor of the 80th anniversary of Prohibition’s end.  Make that four glasses because the cocktails were that good.

Love this mural splashed along the wall when you walk into Society Lounge

So we found ourselves on E4th last Thursday in front of Society Lounge’s velvet ropes, frosted glass door and doorman. If anyone’s watching Mob City right now, it reminded me a bit of the old, glitzy night clubs featured in TNT’s new series. The front entrance has a flair for the dramatic, which gets you in the mood for what awaits at the bottom of their staircase.

As the hostess took our coats and opened the door to the lounge, we were immediately enveloped by its nostalgic glamour. Low lighting and dark colors. Rich, plush couches and chairs. A large, beautiful bar as the centerpiece.

Combine excellent ingredients and handmade syrups with the bartenders’ attention to detail and flourish, and Society Lounge has a recipe for success

And why shouldn’t the bar be the centerpiece? Because behind it stood a small army of skilled bartenders.

The event’s menu featured drinks from the Prohibition era. Popular classics like the Old-Fashioned and French 75 were served up, along with El Presidente (which is very fun to say after a couple of drinks), Monkey Gland, and Scofflaw.

Fitting for a Repeal Day party, the menu had both pre- and post-Prohibition Old-Fashioneds. Although I’m happy I tried the pre-Prohibition’s rye, sugar cube and bitters recipe, I’ll take the dressed up Old-Fashioned I know and love.

Our first drinks of the evening at Society Lounge, a French 75 and Monkey Gland

The Scofflaw, though, was far-and-away my favorite of the evening.

Thankfully, the menu shed some history on this new-to-me drink. When anti-saloon members held a contest to come up with the best word to shame Volstead Act violators, boozlag, hooch-snipper, and law-loose-liquor-lover were only a few of the 25,000 entries that poured in. However, scofflaw beat them all out, and in doing so birthed a new cocktail at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.

Made of rye whiskey, dry vermouth, lemon juice, and Society’s house grenadine, what I loved about this drink was how unexpectedly smooth it was. Although there was that delicious, sharp bite of rye, the sweetness balanced it out and made it a very too easy cocktail to drink.

Maybe the Prohibitionists were right — being a scofflaw leads to this.

The bartenders’ attention to detail combined with the fresh-squeezed juices and made-from-scratch syrups made each drink a work of art. Sadly, they were fleeting masterpieces since we sipped them up quickly.

Society Lounge’s full menu is organized by type of alcohol, so whether you prefer vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, rum, tequila, or all of the above, you’ll quickly find a cocktail to your liking, as well as tapas to go with them.

They even offer a Temperance Menu if you want to take in the experience minus the booze. WhyCLE and baby-WhyCLE celebrated Repeal Day with The Buzz (local honey, grapefruit, and orange water) and The Brown Cow (house-made root beer syrup, heavy cream, and soda water).

Jen was kind enough to let me taste both and although I loved the strong taste of honey in The Buzz, I would go back to order The Brown Cow. How can you say no to a rootbeer float minus the ice cream headache?

A swing band and dancers added to Society Lounge’s nostalgia

The swing band, dancers, and a champagne toast were the final touches for the perfect Repeal Day party.

I’m not ready to give up modern comforts (or, you know, medical advances) to go back in time to the 1930s; however, an after-work trip to Society Lounge is perfect for a quick fix.

Society Lounge is open Monday through Saturday at 5pm. Check out their entertainment calendar to see who’s performing. Upcoming events include piano players, jazz singers, and swing bands. They also are offering some great music and champagne toast specials for New Year’s Eve. Call 216.781.9050 to purchase tickets for this limited capacity event.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Society Lounge’s Repeal Day party with a guest. My opinions are 100% my own.

When I think of PlayhouseSquare’s Palace Theatre, I smile at memories of epic productions. Impressive theatricality along the lines of Wicked, Les Miserables, and this Fall’s Sleeping Beauty. BROADWAY in full capital letters.

That’s why I was curious to see ONCE at PlayhouseSquare. Based on the Oscar-winning indie film of the same name, it tells a very intimate story between a Guy and a Girl in Ireland. No elaborate costumes, set changes, or special effects, not even character names. Just storytelling, poetry, and music.

I wondered how a quiet story like this would play in a commanding setting like the Palace. However, when I attended the 2013-2014 Broadway in CLE preview, ONCE’s music got its hooks in me. It’s why I may have definitely jumped out of my seat at work when I was invited to attend the show’s media night on Tuesday.

ONCE is at the Palace Theatre through Nov. 24. All images and video courtesy of PlayhouseSquare.

As Scott and I walked into the Palace about 15 minutes before curtain, we saw that the party had already started onstage and was spilling into the orchestra section. An Irish pub had taken over as a group of musicians traded tunes and stories. The sounds of an accordion, violins, and guitars wafted through the rows. And audience members waited in line to go up onstage and enjoy a pint.

This preshow vibe was much different than the quiet hum of other shows – more energetic and lively. Any questions I had about how the show would fill the space were answered – they’d fill it with songs.

As the audience returned to their seats at show time, the band kept playing and we heard a wistful poem from an older musician about long-ago love. Then a young musician stepped up to share his story – an angry, powerful song about a breakup.

The house and stage lights dimmed as he sung. Only a spotlight remained on this Guy and the Girl who approached the stage from the aisles, drawn – as the rest of the audience was – by his music.

ONCE at PlayhouseSquare: Guy meets Girl over music

ONCE tells the story of an Irish musician, who – after the death of his mother and his ex-girlfriend’s move to New York – is about to give up on his dream of escaping Dublin’s streets. But he meets a Girl, a charming young Czech immigrant, who is instantly taken by his love songs.

Over the course of a few short days, a complicated romance flowers between the Guy and the Girl. She shows him how to not live in fear of failure, how to move forward with his music and life.

ONCE originated as a film in 2007, starring Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová who also wrote all of the music. It was shot in only 17 days for $150,000 and went on to gross $20M and win the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original song.

After the film’s success, ONCE was brought to Broadway where it won 8 Tony Awards

After such a positive reaction by audiences and critics, ONCE was brought to Broadway in 2012 where it won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and is still onstage at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

After seeing it, I understand this success. Stripping away elaborate sets, costumes and snappy choreography (though there is some dancing) allows the show’s simple story and haunting music to shine beautifully. It stands on its own and doesn’t need to be dressed up.

The result was a very personal, emotional experience. I liked that it’s not a story about finding the love of your life, but the romance of romance and what it feels to be spellbound by a person even if only for a few days.

Through its songs and talented cast of actor-musicians, ONCE captures what it’s like to find fleeting love

Just as much as it made me think of Scott, it also brought me back to every short romance and that warm feeling of connecting with someone.

The production’s music and talented cast were the reason for this enchantment. In addition to the Guy and the Girl on guitar and piano, every actor in the ensemble played an instrument and doubled as the musical’s band.

The way each scene came together and fluidly weaved in and out of songs felt like I wasn’t in the Palace watching a musical with thousands of other people, but sitting in a hole-in-the-wall pub in Ireland listening to a private concert. It’s been ten years since I visited Ireland and had to fight the urge to hop on a plane and return.

Fortunately, you don’t need to pack your bags – you can be transported for much less by getting a ticket to one of ONCE’s remaining performances.

Tickets for ONCE start at $10 at playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 or the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office

The show is at PlayhouseSquare through November 24. Tickets start at $10 and are on sale at playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 or the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office. Performance times are Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 1:00 pm and 6:30 pm.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend ONCE’s media night with a guest in exchange for blogging about my experience. Opinions are 100% my own.

“Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. / His skin was pale and his eye was odd. / He shaved the faces of gentlemen / Who never thereafter were heard of again. / He trod a path that few have trod. / Did Sweeney Todd. / The demon barber of Fleet Street.”

Tom Ford in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street disposing of one of his victims. All photos in this post by Roger Mastroianni, courtesy of Great Lakes Theater

In Stephen Sondheim’s macabre musical Sweeney Todd, you need an actor capable of capturing a man broken by injustice and tragedy, reshaped into a monster obsessed only with avenging his family.

Great Lakes Theater’s Sweeney Todd, running through Nov. 2 at PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna Theatre, has found that in actor Tom Ford.

An 8-season veteran of Great Lakes Theater, Ford brings a manic frenzy to Todd. With a theatricality similar to classic horror films, he’s a convincing madman bent on punishing the lecherous judge who wronged him, even if that means hurting others along the way.

In “The Barber and His Wife” and “My Friends,” Ford’s commanding voice digs into the character’s agonizing grief and isolation. However, he’s equally capable of switching on the charm and hilarity in songs like “A Little Priest.” 

Sara M. Bruner and Ford as the macabre misfits Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd

He’s very well-matched with Sara M. Bruner‘s Mrs. Lovett, the amorous and, uh, “creative” pie shop owner who takes Todd in. Together, their barber-and-pie-shop plan serves up a well-fed (and ultimately too-closely-shaven) clientele, while giving them both what they want until the tragic climax.

It’s hard to not be eclipsed by the role of Sweeney Todd, especially Ford’s performance; however, Bruner holds her own incredibly well. Her Mrs. Lovett is racy, wild, and even tender.  

Together, they were magnetic. I was on the edge of my seat – either in suspense or laughter – when they shared a scene.

Bruner’s saucy Lovett serving up “the worst pies in London”

A little bit steampunk, a little bit a lot Expressionist Horror film, the costumes, set and overall vibe of the production are a fun (and seasonally appropriate) take on Sweeney Todd. As director Victoria Bussert commented during the pre-show Director’s Talk, there’s lots of leather in this show.

Todd’s floor-length black leather, strapped jacket in the first act, and then his red leather tails coat in the second are fantastic; while Judge Turpin and Beadle’s stunningly lavish costumes establish the characters’ excess and corruption immediately. 

M. A. Taylor as The Beadle and Darren Matthias as Judge Turpin

My love of Stephen Sondheim is well-entrenched. Assassins was the first show I worked on my freshman year at La Salle, where I was introduced to theatre. His scores are haunting and complex. They can also be incredibly challenging, not just for the actors, but for audiences.

Sweeney’s songs feature a lot of overlapping lyrics. On the one hand, this speaks to the chaos of London and Todd’s breakdown, but it can also prove difficult to understand at times. This was my fourth Sweeney and there are new things I pick up on each time.

Mic problems in the first act made it difficult to hear some of the songs. However, as it was the show’s preview performance that we saw, wrinkles are to be expected and worked out before opening night. Most of it was resolved by the second act, which helped performances such as Chris Cowan’s Tobias stand out later on. His “Not While I’m Around” surprised – and destroyed – me, in a good way.

Chris Cowan’s Tobias shows his adoration for Mrs. Lovett

Sweeney Todd runs through Nov. 2 in repertory with Shakespeare’s Richard III. As with Great Lakes’ other rep pairings, many of the actors perform in both. In this case, all but one actor are shared between the productions, which gives an audience member who sees both shows the chance to fully appreciate Great Lakes’ impressive talent.

If possible, enhance your experience with a Salon Thursday or Saturday matinee pre-show discussion. The performance we attended included a Director’s Night talk with director Victoria Bussert and Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee, which gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production process. Visit greatlakestheater.org/calendar for performance days and times.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Social Media Night performance of Sweeney Todd in exchange for sharing my opinion about it on Twitter and other social media. I chose to blog about it and my opinions are 100% my own. 

From September 9 through 11, the world’s largest content marketing conference, Content Marketing World, takes over the Cleveland Convention Center.

Yesterday I had the opportunity on the Beyond PR blog to share my Kick-Ass Guide to Cleveland for CMWorld Attendees.

You can also see and share some of my downtown CLE picks in this infographic created by PR Newswire’s Jamie Heckler. Enjoy!

Do you agree with my suggestions? What else would you recommend to a conference attendee or visitor staying downtown?

August 23rd can’t come soon enough — Not only is it Date Night at the Zoovies, it’s also my birthday. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than seeing Back to the Future at the Zoo!

And one of you will be joining me at the sold-out event with your own pair of tickets. After removing one pingback, one duplicate entry and entering the remaining entries into Random.org, congratulations to:

Entry # 75 — Michelle @tinktastic! Please reply to my email by Friday morning to redeem your two Zoovies tickets.

If you didn’t win, you have one more chance over at Poise in Parma. But before you head to Alicia’s giveaway, enter my new giveaway for Taste of the Browns below:

Taste of the Browns – Sept. 9

The Cleveland Browns have gone through a lot of changes as they head into the 2013 season. It’s Haslam’s first full season as owner, the team has a new coach, and the stadium a new name.

But one thing not changing this season is the Browns’ longtime support of the Cleveland Foodbank through their Taste of the Browns fundraiser.

On Monday, September 9, fans of Cleveland food and football will descend on First Energy stadium from 6-9pm to help raise funds for the Foodbank while enjoying treats from over 30 restaurants.

If you’ve never been, check out my review of last year’s Taste of the Browns which raised more than $140,500 for the Foodbank.

One thing to know is the Browns and the Foodbank outdo themselves every year and the 15th annual Taste of the Browns will be bigger and better than ever.

At Taste of the Browns, enjoy food and drink, while meeting current and alumni Cleveland Browns players

Restaurants serving up delicious signature dishes include: B-Spot Burgers, Deagan’s, Lago, Momocho/El Carnicero, The Greenhouse Tavern, Pier W and many more.

Cleveland Browns alumni and current players will also be on hand to meet and mingle with fans, while live music and auction and raffle items provide plenty of entertainment.

General admission tickets are $175 each ($75 is tax-deductible) and can be purchased here.

I also have 2 general admission tickets to give away. How to enter: Do one, some, or all five of the entries. A separate comment is needed for each.

There are 5 Easy Ways to Enter the Giveaway
**You must leave a separate comment on this post for each entry**

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me which Taste of the Browns restaurant you haven’t been to before that you’d like to try.

2) Follow @CleveFoodbank and @ADHicken on Twitter and leave one comment on this post telling me you did both.

3) If you’re a fan of Clue Into Cleveland and the Cleveland Foodbank on Facebook, leave one comment on this blog post letting me know. If you’re not yet a fan, you can become one here and here.

4) Tweet the following and leave one comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to tackle hunger at @CleveFoodbank’s #TasteoftheBrowns. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway and you can too: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-2ar

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

5) Subscribe to Clue Into Cleveland via a feed tracker like Bloglovin’ or Feedly and leave one comment letting me know you did. This can also include signing up to receive email notifications in the top-right “Subscribe” section of this page.

You have until Monday, August 19 at 11:59PM to enter. On Tuesday, August 20, I will select a winner using Random.org and will announce the winner’s name on my blog.  Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend Taste of the Browns in exchange for hosting a giveaway. I will be out of town and unable to attend. I am also a council member of YP Pantry, the Foodbank’s young professionals group.  However, my choice to post about this event and opinions are 100% my own.

#summerinCLE: Dollar Dogs, Fireworks and an Indians Win – couldn’t ask for anything more!

UPDATE: This contest ends on Sept. 2, not August 2 as had been originally noted. After confirming conflicting information on the Contest Instructions and Rules and Regulations pages with Positively Cleveland, the date has been corrected below.

An Indians win, dollar dogs and fireworks. In my books, that’s a perfect #summerinCLE night!

Friday night, Scott and I walked down to Progressive to watch the Indians take on the Texas Rangers.

Texas Rangers take on the Cleveland Indians

Scott and I had seats in the relocated Social Suite where we enjoyed an amazing view over the first base line.  It was an exciting back and forth matchup with Raburn pulling out a 3-run homer in the 11th inning to win the game.

It may have been a long night, but I wasn’t complaining while I chowed down on a few dollar dogs, a bottle of Indigo Imp and funnel cake for dessert. I’m glad we stuck around for the spectacular Jimi Hendrix-themed fireworks afterwards – the Indians put on my favorite fireworks show in Cleveland.

My contribution to the Dollar Dogs total

We had such a nice time that I couldn’t think of anything more perfect for my #SummerinCLE Tackk.

Positively Cleveland has teamed with local startup Tackk to celebrate all that is great about Cleveland in the summer. And this week, they’re giving away some great prizes in exchange for you sharing your summer favorites.

Seventh Inning Stretch

All you have to do is snap a photo and create a Summer in Cleveland tackk page that will then be shared with potential visitors to the city.

In return for the “tackk,” you’ll be entered to win the prize of the week as well as the grand prize at the end of the campaign (September 2). Each post earns you an additional entry with up to 3 entries per week.

The grand prize includes four tickets to the Cleveland Browns home-opener, a one-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown Cleveland for Saturday, September 7, four tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, dinner at a downtown restaurant and attire from CLE Clothing Company.

You can learn more at http://tackk.com/44znu7 and check out my Tackk at http://tackk.com/4lpknp. But hurry – the contest ends this Friday!

Disclosure: I received two tickets as part of the Cleveland Indians Social Suite program. Anyone can apply to attend a game at the Social Suite at http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/fan_forum/social_suite.jsp.