I’ve been greatly enjoying many of the stories and tributes that have been popping up this month for the 46th Anniversary of the Moon Landing.

Most of them have concentrated on the astronauts getting to the Moon – a feat I am still awed by. But I haven’t seen much said about the fact that they had to come back.

On July 24th, 1969 the families of our plucky space explorers had a true Christmas in July when their capsule landed safely.

Part of me started wondering: There may not have been much to do in that capsule, but what were people down here in Cleveland up to while that trio of trans-atmospheric travelers were on their way back down?

Well, what easier way to find out than for me to dig up one of my many old newspapers – the July 25th, 1969 edition of The Plain Dealer.

Front page of the July 25th, 1969 edition of The Plain Dealer. All images are taken from my copy of this paper, and copyrights belong to their respective holders. Used in the intention of Fair Use.

Travel along with me as I pick out the articles and ads that caught my eye! Feel free to click on the thumbnail images to view larger versions.

Oh, Disclaimer, while all of this is intended as Fair Use, if The Plain Dealer or any copyright holder objects to the use of their material, just let me know!

Ah, yes, Second Disclaimer, I have gone through and scrubbed all the phone numbers I could find. If you think I missed one, please let me know!

Everything That’s Old Is New To Me

When I first started flipping through my paper, I was initially a little overwhelmed. Since I wanted to concentrate on Cleveland-region happenings, I skipped the front section of international news.

Not being a native Clevelander some things were easy for me to recognize as important, such as a weird Higbee’s ad which was…advertising the best way to blend into tall grass?

I also snagged a quick bit about the Bay Village council raising its own pay, a Summer Arts Festival announcement, and a congratulatory column about two young women who received Harpole Awards.

Basically, my thinking was “snag ’em all and let my editor sort it out” – which is not a terribly helpful way of thinking when you are your own editor…

Can You Throw Shade At An Entire Industry?

Slowly I started to find my focus, concentrating more on things that caught my interest and would be found amusing.

I laughed out loud when I took in the brazenness of The First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland‘s ad. I won’t spoil it, you just have to see it below.

I could then only feel bad for The Third Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland, whose ad ran on the page directly opposite. When you’re not at the top I guess you have to stoop to offering information to readers…and, also, American flags.

It’s All About The People…The Female People, Specifically

By this point I’d realized I’d mostly taken pictures of advertisements that could have been published practically any time, so I started searching out more human interest stuff.

Unrelated to my decision to look for such articles, I came upon the Plain Dealer Women’s Pages, with Harry West as the Women’s Editor.

I originally was going to gloss over how Mr. West was the Women’s Editor, until I Googled Harry to confirm whether or not it was short for Harriette and turned up an interesting tidbit.

In 1970 Mr. West applied for membership in the Ohio Newspaper Women’s Association and seemed honestly confused as to why his membership request was denied, saying “…we have the best women’s pages and I can’t enter.”

I’ll let you be the judge of that statement as we move along.

Now, this section brings us to the first of what I like to call “Scott Was Clearly Not Paying Attention To The Truly Interesting Part Of The Page.” Take a look at this and see if you see what I only saw after going through my images:

What the heck is that headline at the bottom? I was so tied up in thinking “Aren’t late-60s-early-70s styles ridiculous?” that I passed over what I think would have been a far more educational read.

Oh well, I already put the paper back in a drawer so that will have to remain a mystery.

Moving on, I had finally gotten back to paying attention to actual articles. As someone who always stares up at The Lonely Window on Euclid Ave. with many questions, the next article called Tall Stories was kind of fun. And after that I found Dolly’s Cashwords Offers, which I would love to still be a thing because $4,500  in 1969 had the spending power of $29,260.79 in 2015 money!

When “Missed Connections” Were Tiny Ads And Not Airport Nightmares

By this point I had made it to my favorite part of any newspaper – the comics and private ads pages. And every long moment of me carefully covering over phone numbers was worth it.

One of my favorite things in college was grabbing the local paper and looking up what random citizens were paying $.10 per word to post, and this proves that these are enjoyable regardless of the year/decade/century/millennium;

I also found Ask Andy, which I just had to include because he’s adorable and who can’t resist a good explanation of the abyssal plain? Up until the 1920s, sailors thought they were literally floating atop something that never ended.

Andy and Soos clearly shop at the same Mystery Shack.

I’m scared enough going into large bodies of water I know have a bottom; I can’t even fathom how I’d feel thinking it was just endless water.

On a day that celebrates the return of adventurers who just floated around in a ship which was one technical glitch away from floating off into actual infinity, can we think about the pre-1920s sailors who thought gravity was trying to pull them down into the same thing? Except drowny? And they still sailed out on boats over it? Yeesh!

Now, I need to have a word with West End Lumber.

Look, guys, I’m sure that at some point you overheard the phrase “sex sells.” And I suppose, while you were mulling on this miracle of marketing insight, you thought “What is sexy?” and the answer of “a woman in lingerie” popped into your heads.

What am I even supposed to make of this? Seriously?

Now, let’s understand that I’m not disappointed in you for putting a scantily clad woman in your ad (well, actually, I am but we’ll table that discussion for now). What I’m truly disappointed about is that you are carpenters and should know that you can’t just place a nail on a board and claim you’ve built a coherent structure. Similarly, you can’t just put a woman in lingerie atop a map to your location and think you’ve built a coherent advertisement.

At least give her a hammer or saw or some proper context. This is just sad.

Let’s Hear It For That Local Sports Team!

I don’t know anything about sports. I don’t know anything about it now, and I certainly don’t know anything about it 13 years before I was born.

What I do know is that the “Astronauts’ Final Score” line on the first page of the sport’s page is freaking hilarious, and that sports commentator Chuck Heaton is the father of actress Patricia Heaton.

And now we come to the second installment of “Scott Was Clearly Not Paying Attention To The Truly Interesting Part Of The Page.” Contestants, if you’ll please take a look:

If you thought to yourself “Whether the tour retsrns [sic] with all 89 energetic youngsters in tow remains to be seen.” is a concerning way to end an article headlined 89 Catholic Pupils Start Tour, then congrats! You win!

Timely Things That Are Actually Timely

Okay, aside from the Sports Section, almost everything I’ve found thus far really could have happened at any time during the year. So why don’t we turn to the … What the hell is this:

Oh, it’s simply a terrifying drawing of Lawrence Welk who was visiting Cleveland at the time.

I mean, I have no issue against Mr. Welk himself. It’s just that this image…

The longer I stare at his forehead…

My freedom of will sapping…

Sense of self draining…

WOAH! What happened? Where did all these bottles of champagne suddenly come from?

Anyway, inside the pages of pd action tab is a bunch of insights into what Clevelanders were up to at this time.

Peter, Paul, and Mary and The Union Gap were tearing up the stage at Blossom. The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival was being awesome — as it is to this day. Euclid Beach Park was advertising its 10 cent ride night. And the New Geauga Lake Park was advertising its bargain weekday prices of $2.75 (keep in mind that $2.75 in 1969 had the spending power of $17.88 in 2015 money).

And then I nearly slipped down the rabbit hole – the movies section.

Oh. My. God. I just don’t have words for the…variety of entertainment available. All I can do is post the pages and let people have their own internal monologue.

I love that, by film poster rules, this means that knowing that Walt Disney made “The Love Bug” was as important as knowing that Raquel Welch was in “Fantastic Voyage.”

I was also pleased to see a box for the Aut-O-Rama, a drive-in movie theater that Amanda and I have really enjoyed since moving out here.

Now, we’re in the home stretch of the paper (and this blog entry). We’ve made it into the music section of pd action tab, which was especially fun to flip through. It was very interesting to read about the Flats being the bastion of social activity during this time in Cleveland’s history.

It was even cooler to find an article by a young Jane Scott, who took the time to outline all the new dance moves the local kids were doing that were inspired by the Moon Landing. There are such classics as the Neil Armstrong Step Down, the Side Step in the Capsule Spin, and of course the Buzz Bounce.

And that, dear friends, is what is called “coming ’round full circle!”

Yes, I totally planned starting the article about the Moon Landing and ending it on a tangentially related subject. It was totally NOT something I realized just as I was writing this.

Always End On A Lesson

So that is a brief glimpse into what was up in Cleveland as the astronauts were coming down. It looks like there was a lot of great fun to be had when one wasn’t watching history in the making. I hope you had as good a time looking back on all of this as I had.

And, in order to meet the educational requirements of this blog, I want to leave us with an example for West End Lumber for how one should, and only should, use a lingerie-dressed woman in an advertisement.

Body English?

Meh, the more you know.

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.

Occasionally, whether we recognize it or not, it’s time to take a sabbatical.

A few months ago, I got an offer to move into PR Newswire’s marketing department to manage the company’s blog Beyond PR.

While I hadn’t been looking to start a new job at the time, I’m glad it came along. Getting to write, design, edit, organize our editorial calendar, recruit contributors and develop strategy every day has been a blast. A hectic blast, but a blast. I’ve also had the opportunity to talk to and learn from other bloggers about blogging.

Meanwhile, though, it’s been three months since I published a blog post here.

At first, it was because I didn’t have time. After running a company blog Monday-Friday, the idea of more blogging was not how I wanted to spend my limited down time.

However, after a few weeks, I realized that there was something more to this break.

While moderating a webinar on blogger burnout, I realized I was suffering from it.

After five years, I wasn’t enjoying my blog as much as I used to. I liked everything about blogging, but I was struggling with what I was blogging about.

When I started Clue Into Cleveland, I was interested in writing about the events and places I love in the city. And although I’m still interested in those things, there are other stories I want to tell beyond Northeast Ohio.

At the same time, Scott was beginning to do more publishing with his webcomics and together we began digging further into our shared interests of comics, pop art, gaming, science fiction and ‘nerd culture’ (for lack of a better word).

We started talking about launching a blog together. However, my biggest sticking point was that I wanted to also keep blogging about Cleveland.

It took a while, but we finally figured out a solution.

Fittingly, it happened the same way Clue Into Cleveland came about.

Apparently we do our best brainstorming in the car because a little over five years ago, while driving from Philly to Cleveland, we came up with the idea for Clue into Cleveland. And, last month, while on a roadtrip to Virginia, clePOP was born.

What is clePOP?

Well, you’ll be seeing more and more of it in the next week or so. This weekend, Scott and I are going to work on getting the blog’s design figured out and (hopefully) all of Clue Into Cleveland’s archives moved over to the new url www.clePOP.com.

The plan is to blog once or twice a week. And I have good news for all of Scott’s fans (of which I count myself #1), Scott and I will be splitting blogging duties.

That means more haikus and humor, plus more topics like comic books, movies, art, roadtrips, pinball, and — yes — Cleveland.  We’ll probably also be writing more about the other projects we’re working on, be that a comic Scott just published or an interesting article from Beyond PR (like the time that LeBron and Delly inspired a blog post about achieving PR success with less). .

We may kick up some dust during the move to our new home; however, I hope you stick around for the changes!

Join CLE bloggers @PoiseinParma and @MoninaW for this webinar I’m moderating on 4/2

Whether it’s been on Twitter  and Facebook or in real life at Ohio Blogging meetups, I’ve always counted myself lucky that blogging’s introduced me to so many fantastic and smart people.

I’ve shared some great experiences, developed dear friendships, and learned a lot.

That’s why, when it came to finding guests for a webinar on blogging, I didn’t have to look very far.

This Thursday, April 2, join me for a conversation about blogging with Poise in Parma and Ohio Blogging Association’s Alicia Hansen and Monina Wagner, community manager with the Content Marketing Institute and blogger at 37º and Sunny.

Going the Distance: How to Find Your Blog’s Focus & Avoid Blogger Burn Out will cover:

• Tips and tools for structuring your blogging and maintaining momentum
• How to consistently create fresh content and avoid running out of ideas
• The importance of revisiting, refining, and refocusing your blog efforts

I’m excited to hear what Alicia and Monina have to say on the topic! 

The webinar will take place between 1 and 2 pm ET on April 2 and is completely free to attend. You can register at http://bit.ly/1Mug8PL. And when you tune in on Thursday, live tweet with us using #blogtips.

You can also catch up on a couple of my other posts on the subject here:

• Why Audience Is Key To Your Blogging Success
• 3 Reasons Blogging Isn’t Dead (or Dying Anytime Soon)

If you’ve read Clue Into Cleveland for a while or know me IRL, you know that groups and events for Cleveland young professionals top the list of my passions.

I am incredibly grateful and lucky to have come across PlayhouseSquare Partners after moving to Cleveland because it’s given Scott and me a ton of opportunities to develop professionally and personally.

We’ve met fantastic friends, learned from some great leaders, and had a chance to give back to an institution that means a lot to us. And it’s something that I see not just in Partners, but across many of the city’s young professionals groups.

It’s why I’m so happy that the Cleveland Zoological Society is adding their name to the list of local organizations focusing their attention on the twenty-something to forty crowd.

When Scott and I attended last month’s Animal Attractions, the Zoological Society unveiled Ambassadors’ Circle, their new initiative designed to foster the next generation of Clevelanders who share a passion for animal conservation and wildlife.

Starting in May, the Zoo’s Ambassadors’ Circle will help host a series of events for YPs, including a Wine & Paint (May 7), ZippityZooDoo (June 5), the Twilight at the Zoo VIP Party (August 7) and my personal favorite Date Night at the ZOOvies (August date TBA, but tickets will go on sale June 15).

Just like Animal Attractions, these events help raise money and awareness for conservation efforts while giving attendees an opportunity to cut loose with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s very own party animals. 

Ambassadors’ Circle members will also get the opportunity to:

• Participate in Urban Safaris — culture and education programming at different locations around town
• Support animal care and learning opportunities for over 100,000 Northeast Ohio school children
• Engage in the planning and implementation of Ambassadors’ Circle activities
• Receive discounts on select tickets
• Receive invitations to seasonal exhibitions and celebrations
• And meet other like-minded animal lovers and young community leaders

The cost is pretty reasonable as well, starting at just $10/month for individuals and $15/month for couples, which includes 4 Zoo passes.

I’m really excited to see what the Zoo continues to offer with this group. For those who join it now, I think you’ll find the experience incredibly rewarding and will have the opportunity to shape the group’s growth.

If you’re interested in joining or learning more about Ambassadors’ Circle, email YP@ClevelandZooSociety.org, call 216.661.6500 x4530 or read the Cleveland Zoological Society’s announcement. 

Disclosure: I attended Animal Attractions in exchange for previewing the event on my blog. I am also the chair of PlayhouseSquare’s young professionals group. All opinions here are 100% my own.

For sports fans, March Madness means another thrilling college hoops tournament. But for fans of Cleveland and film, March brings its own brand of excitement: the annual arrival of the Cleveland International Film Festival.

As much as I love Saint Patrick’s Day, CIFF is tops on my March must-do list.

The festival opens tonight with an Opening Gala that includes a screening of I’ll See You In My Dreams featuring Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott, Rhea Perlman and many other amazing actors. It’s a star-filled way to celebrate the festival and cinema.

Over the course of the 39th festival, which runs through March 29, 190+ feature films and 220+ short films from 60 countries will be screened.

Although the festival’s main hub is at Tower City, films will be screened all over the area. A few of the 11 neighborhood screening locations include Chagrin Cinemas in Chagrin Falls, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium, and The Nightlight in Akron.

There are films for every interest. In addition to their main program, this year’s festival continues to present a selection of “sidebars” or themed film groupings focused around Pan-Asian Films, Focus on Disabilities, Family Films,  African Diaspora, Cinema en Espanol and many other topics.

One of the films in the Women of the World sidebar and two of the festival’s competitions is Semicolon; The Adventures of Ostomy Girl.

It features Dana, a 25-year-old woman who was diagnosed at age four with Crohn’s disease. It follows her and her mother as they travel between their home in Las Vegas and the Cleveland Clinic. Instead of viewing all of the surgeries, medications and close encounters with death as a tragedy, Dana tells her story with a grin and a sharp sense of humor.

To quote the film description: “SEMICOLON; THE ADVENTURES OF OSTOMY GIRL is not a story of disease and decay. This is a story of defiance and determination. Prepare to lose your heart as well as your inhibitions about not laughing at ‘certain things.’ Dana will teach you the meaning of courage, along with the value of a really good poop joke!”

With so many films to choose from, deciding what to do during CIFF can be overwhelming. Especially if it’s your first year. However, CIFF’s Film Guide, their website (www.clevelandfilm.org) and social media (@CIFF and Cleveland International Film Festival on Facebook are just two) are excellent places to start. 

Fresh Water Cleveland also asked veteran festival goers like Eat Drink Cleveland what advice they’d give attendees. It’s a must-read.

Once you have an idea about which films you want to see, you can buy tickets online. Tickets are available for purchase online until 11 PM on the day before a screening. You may also purchase tickets by phone (877.304.3456) or in person at the Film Festival Box Office in the lobby of Tower City Cinemas.

Day-of tickets are only available for purchase in person at the Film Festival Box Office.

While you’re at it, head over to USA TODAY to vote for the Cleveland International Film Festival as the best film festival in the U.S.

The contest is part of USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards and CIFF needs your help. Vote for them today and every day (one vote per person per day) through Monday, April 13th to show your support. It only takes two clicks: 10best.com/awards/travel/best-film-festival.

See you at the movies!

Yeah. That happened.

Last month I partied like it was 2015.

And 1955.

And 1985.

And 1885.

If you’re like me, those years immediately bring forth one thought: Marty McFly’s adventures through time in the Back To The Future trilogy. Since its release, Back To The Future and its sequels have had a huge impact on me, and are three of my favorite films.

So, when the actual year 2015 rolled around, I couldn’t have been more pleased that PlayhouseSquare Partners didn’t waste the opportunity to celebrate Doc Brown’s time traveling DeLorean in style with the 24th Annual Jump Back Ball. It was, appropriately enough, entitled Jump Back To The Future.

Back To The Future movies encompass a wide range of time periods and settings, and I was extremely pleased that they were all captured throughout the party. The movies began in 1985, so it was only right that the evening’s starting place – the Connor Palace’s VIP Area – had 80s themed centerpieces, complete with flip-up shades and Rubik’s Cubes. The radical atmosphere was complemented by Driftwood’s delicious calamari, ice cream, and various bruschetta. Outside the theatre was a DeLorean that begged to be posed with (See above.).

I took that Rubik’s Cube. It’s mine now. And the colors are hopelessly mixed up.

1955, the year Doc Brown invented time travel while Marty’s parents fell in love, was perfectly encapsulated on the State Theatre stage. Jump Back’s version of the Enchantment Under The Sea dance was beautiful, with floating sea life, an ocean backdrop, and an ice sculptor bar. We were treated to a wonderful dinner by Chef Chris Hodgson, enjoying our champagne-complemented meal in the theatre seats before be-bopping it up on stage, daddy-o, with a 50s themed band. The singer came out amongst the dancers and had some great rapport, and when the sound blew out for a short time they began singing to people for birthdays and anniversaries.

The State Theatre Stage on Jump Back Ball set up day and during the party

1885’s Old West was spread throughout the party. Many of the bars were themed as saloons (featuring LaBatt’s Bourbon Barrel Ale samples). A locomotive engine, complete with smoking smoke stack, greeted the partiers as they entered through the State Lobby.

It was smoking at the party. I had to tattle on it.

Back to the Future’s take on our current year had little touches spread throughout the party. Hoverboards floated behind the card dealers, a JAWS 19 poster was hung, and Mr. Fusions were ready to accept anyone’s trash.

Even the alternate timeline of 1985a was covered by Biff’s Casino in the State Theatre Mezzanine’s table games area.

As the evening drew to a close, a variety of partiers, Martys, Doc Browns, Biffs, and Jennifers from all time periods came together in the State Theatre Lobby to close out the night with music from our own 2015.

After 24 Jump Back Ball,s you’d think the process would be stale. I haven’t been doing it that long, but each year I’ve come in to find a group of people who just could not be more excited to make the next one happen. The challenges of the decor excite them, even when the task is overwhelming – like making a train engine that smokes. The enthusiasm — it, too, is overwhelming.

When all the building, and coordinating, and priming is done, then the party starts. It is so much fun to come in every year and see what people have worn. Even people who had nothing to do with the preparation show up in incredible outfits because they want to do something different and enjoy themselves.

Somebody had a highly-detailed hoverboard strapped to their back. Others showed up with glowing neon piping. Others were in complete Old West regalia. And you know what, if you were in a suit or a dress and just having a great time oooing and aweing at what other people wore, you were just as much in the spirit of things as anyone else.

It takes a special kind of party to let people do that. To just show up and let yourself find the fun in an evening. So yes, I am certainly proud of the decorations and details that had sweat and inspiration poured into them. I’m always eager for the food, and the drink, and the music.

But what makes Jump Back Ball great, even after 24 of them, are the excited attitudes of the people who show up to have a good time in a beautiful Cleveland landmark.

And as long as that keeps happening, I’ll always be happy to attend.

Disclosure: We were offered one ticket to Jump Back Ball in exchange for previewing and recapping the event. Amanda is also the co-chair of PlayhouseSquare Partners, the group that organizes Jump Back Ball each year. Opinions here are 100% Scott’s.

The Cast of the National Touring Production of PIPPIN, at PlayhouseSquare through Feb. 15. Credit Terry Shapiro

How many times have you watched a play, attended a concert or seen a painting and left inspired to take on greatness?

Art is magical in the way it fills us with the desire to pursue glory, revolt against whatever’s holding us back, and love with every inch of our body.

PIPPIN now playing at PlayhouseSquare until February 15, brings that magic to the stage in one of the most thrilling productions I’ve ever experienced.

As the curtain rises (well, in the case of this show, drops with a grand flourish), the Leading Player entices the audience to hear the tale of Charlemagne’s son Pippin.

Fresh out of university, Pippin doesn’t want to lead the sedentary life of a scholar. “I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free. Got to find my corner of the sky,” he sings.

Lured from home by the Leading Player, Pippin tries his hand at battle, revolution, politics, and a lot of loving. But with each, he remains unsatisified. 

When he stumbles into ordinary life, he’s torn between his desire to pursue his daydreams and the comforts of a quiet family. It’s a struggle that resonates with all of us, and I wish I could go back in time to tell 20-year-old Amanda to see it.

Sam Lips as Pippin. Photo Credit Martha Rial

The Leading Player and Pippin are brought to life in this production by Sasha Allen and Sam Lips, respectively.

Fans of The Voice and Camp will recognize Allen’s dynamic voice and magnetic stage presence. She’s perfect as the production’s ringleader. Lips, who understudied the role in the Broadway company, does a very convincing job of transforming Pippin from spastic, unsure teenager to a more settled (but at times, still conflicted) adult.  

However, as incredibly entertaining as Allen and Lips are – especially when on stage together, the performance that will stick with you long after the curtain is drawn is the Leading Player’s circus troupe.

From stunning acrobatics to showstopping musical numbers like No Time at All (beautifully sung — upside down on a trapeze! — by Priscilla Lopez) , the performances left my jaw on the floor. The trapeze work, stunts, and illusions the cast creates are worth the ticket price alone. In fact, describing them would ruin that magic.

Sasha Allen as Leading Player and the cast of the National Tour of PIPPIN. Credit Terry Shapiro

After a fiery grand finale that left me breathless and a bit choked up, there’s no surprise that PIPPIN won Best Musical Revival at the Tonys and in my heart.

Run to PlayhouseSquare and see PIPPIN before it swings out of Cleveland. Tickets are going very fast and only a few performances remain. You really don’t want to miss it.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the opening night of PIPPIN with a guest in exchange for sharing my experience. All opinions are 100% my own.

UPDATE: After removing two duplicate entries and placing the remaining number in Random.org, congratulations go to entry #15 – Laura B! Please reply to my email by 2/4 at 5pm to confirm you can attend.

When I’m stuck inside for more than a few days, my eyes drift to those home improvement projects I need to tackle. With the snowy weather, I’ve been eyeing the bedroom and bathroom updates we need to finish.

Fortunately, February’s Great Big Home and Garden Show, March’s Cleveland Home + Remodeling Expo, and my giveaways for both are perfectly timed to my need to tinker!

Mark your calendars for two weeks of home and garden inspiration when the Great Big Home and Garden Show returns to the Cleveland I-X Center February 6 through 15. (And save the date for the Home + Remodeling Expo March 27-29 – I’ll be giving away those tickets later.)

This year’s Great Big Home and Garden Show will include:

Tom Silva (This Old House and Ask This Old House’s), Matt Muenster (Bath Crashers and HGTV’s 2015 Dream Home), and nationally recognized design/build contractor Ramsin Khachi will be among the guests appearing on the combined Main Stage and Loretta Paganini Cooking Stage.

The brand-new Danny Vegh’s Break Room will serve up pub food and give guests a chance to compete in ping pong and other table games.

This year’s model homes include a 2,400 square foot Idea Home by Blossom Homes, a 1,500 square foot Xtend Technologies Entertainment Home with an in-ground pool, and a Weaver Barns house.

More than 1,000 home industry experts and 600 exhibitors will be on hand showcasing their techniques and tips for cooking, gardening, home improvement and more.

My favorite part of every year’s show is the Garden Showcase, and it sounds like this year’s showcase will rock, literally. Northeast Ohio landscapers will tackle some of Cleveland’s landmarks with the theme Cleveland Rocks.

Photos from my favorite garden at last year’s show themed around Ohio beer.

See the show features and stage schedule for more details.

Tickets at the I-X Center box office cost $15, but buy them online and save. Online tickets cost only $12, plus take another $1 off by using promo code CLUECLE15 when you check out online.

I’m also giving away a pair of general admission tickets to the event. 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) What home improvement or gardening project is on your to-do list this year? Leave a comment on this post with your answer.

2) Follow @GreatBigShow 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 Home and Garden Events 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 go to @GreatBigShow. Enter @ADHicken’s giveaway to win 2 tickets to #Cleveland’s home and garden show: http://wp.me/p2Ukr0-2DI

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 February 2 at 11:59pm to enter. Random.org will select the winner, which I will announce on February 3. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry – good luck!

Disclosure: I was invited to attend The Great Big Home and Garden Show with a guest in exchange for hosting a giveaway. My choice to post about this and any opinions are 100% my own.

1) Congratulations to entry #34 – Megan Kilway! You won two tickets to CIFF’s Get Shorty Film Feast. Please reply to my email by January 26 at noon ET to confirm you can still attend.

Don’t have your tickets yet to Get Shorty on January 29? Tickets can be purchased here. You’ll have a great evening out, while helping to raise money for CIFF 39.

2) A note about today’s blog post: At various points in both of our careers, Scott and I worked in some form of customer relations. Because of this, we love seeing examples of businesses that go out of their way to provide stellar service, especially in response to a misstep. No one’s perfect; it’s how a business handles a mistake that truly demonstrates the value they place on their customer relationships.

I say all of this because of a recent experience Scott had at Pier W. He asked me if he could share it on the blog. Take it away, Scott.

There was a saying I often heard as a child:

“It’s not your mistakes that define you, but how you deal with those mistakes.”

Most of the time I find sayings like that trite and indefinable in real life, so when I come across an actual example of it I take note.

Amanda and I have been big fans of Pier W for some time. I’d long been interested in going thanks to the billboard that towers over the Shoreway (especially when the modern ad fell off and the awesome old Pier W ad was visible for a few days).

It’s one of the few places around Cleveland where this Jersey boy can get really good seafood. I was hooked after my first sip of lobster bisque at a happy hour.

Add to their food the lakeside location, view of Cleveland’s stunning skyline, an incredible layout (love the glass elevator that goes past a fish tank!), and live pianist tickling ivories with superhero movie theme songs, and you have one of the coolest places in Cleveland.

It should come as no surprise that when it came time to plan Amanda’s birthday dinner, Pier W was at the top of my list.

Unfortunately, a customer service glitch kept our group from having dinner there that evening. Amanda’s birthday still turned out fine, but like all plans gone awry one does feel somewhat hardened to what threw things off. I loved Pier W, and I didn’t want to have a smudge on my opinion of it. But that was the fact of the matter.

Thankfully, that issue will not be what defines Pier W for me. I reached out to the restaurant, and after I explained to General Manager Mark Kawada what happened, he was determined to make sure what went wrong was put right.

Shortly after the start of 2015, Amanda, I, and a small group of friends were able to have that birthday dinner at Pier W.

Iced Seafood Tower, Lobster Pappardelle, Chocolate Mousse Cake

It was an incredible time, and this was thanks to the wonderful customer service of Mr. Kawada and the staff at Pier W. He was determined that one bad experience would not define my view of the restaurant.

His above-and-beyond work paid off. I could not have a higher opinion of Pier W than I do right now. It was a mistake well fixed. (The free glass of champagne that Pier W is giving all of their guests for their 50th anniversary didn’t hurt.)

As grateful as I am to Mr. Kawada, let’s not forget the true star of our dinner at Pier W: Succulent raw oysters, the Iced Seafood Tower, the salty juices of Alaskan Crab Legs, and of course the lobster bisque.

I know Amanda thoroughly enjoyed the Maine lobster pappardelle she ordered. It’s the addition of ingredients like red peppers and French green beans in the pappardelle’s rich cognac sauce that sets Pier W’s dishes above others.

We were all delightfully stuffed, but that didn’t keep us from some delightful dessert. Chocolate mousse cake for myself and refreshing housemade sorbets for Amanda..

I’m thankful Mr. Kawada was able to put Pier W back in my positive thoughts, because the idea of going through life without any of that again makes me very sad.

So that is my delicious illustration of a trite – but important – saying. Pier W has redefined itself to me as not only a fantastic Cleveland dinner spot, but a true believer in excellent customer service.

I can’t wait to go back and recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a special night of exquisite food and service that matches. If you go during the first 100 days of this year, you’ll also get a free glass of champagne (and flute to take home) in honor of Pier W’s 50th anniversary.

Because I love any chance to pen a limerick, here’s one dedicated to Pier W:

There once was a man who liked seafood,
And desired some that was real good.
So he tried very hard not to drool,
As he looked at the menu of Pier W,
And when there he’s always in a fantastic mood!