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.

Another reason I’d add to this list: all of the opportunities available for Cleveland Young Professionals to socialize, network and give back to the community.

While the city’s YP groups usually have events throughout the year, it seems like the next couple of weeks are particularly filled with them.   Here are just a few to mark on your calendar:

Cleveland Foodbank YP KickOff – Sept. 27

As I mentioned in last week’s post about Hunger Action Month, the Cleveland Foodbank is launching a new program for Young Professionals. And next Thursday, Sept. 27, they’re hosting a happy hour at Grovewood Tavern to unveil the name of the group and plans for future events.

From 6-8PM, a senior Foodbank staff member will be onsite to answer questions about poverty and hunger in Cleveland and discuss the Foodbank’s programs and volunteer opportunities.

And for every two canned goods you bring, you’ll receive a drink ticket (maximum of two drink tickets).

You can RSVP and learn more at clevelandfoodbankyp.eventbrite.com.

I’ve found my experiences volunteering for the Cleveland Foodbank to be extremely rewarding and the fact that everyone deserves to have food on their table is very important to me.  As a member of this new YP group, you’d be able to get involved, help set the direction for the organization and really further the impact the Foodbank has on our region.

As a side note: Earlier on the same night, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Engage Cleveland will be co-hosting a Pop-Up Party at the Colonial Marketplace.  The historic space is taking a new lease on Downtown Cleveland Retail and the Marketplace’s developer will be available for attendees who’d like to share their ideas on the stores and businesses they want to see in the space.

Since the Downtown Pop-Up starts at 5pm, you can stop by, share your ideas, and head to the Cleveland Foodbank happy hour to wrap up your night.

PlayhouseSquare OSU Party – Sept. 29

Are you ready for some football?  On Saturday, Sept. 29, Partners – PlayhouseSquare’s YP group – is hosting their annual OSU party during the Buckeyes-Michigan State game.

Doors open at 3pm at the Blind Pig with kickoff at 3:30pm.  Admission is free but you can also take advantage of a special deal on food and drink during the game. For $25 in advance/$30 at the door, enjoy 4 hours of unlimited pizza, pasta, wings, beer, wine and well drinks.

Even if you aren’t a college football fan, this event is a great opportunity to help raise money for PlayhouseSquare’s Bus Fund.  Proceeds from the food and drink packages, as well as raffles and the silent auction will provide much-needed funding to local schools who are unable to afford transportation to PlayhouseSquare shows.

Learn more here and make your reservation by calling 216-640-8416 or emailing franzm@playhousesquare.org.

Other upcoming PlayhouseSquare Partners events include:

Why Stay YP Conference – Oct. 6

The Why Stay Conference is an all-day conference that’s free and open to any Cleveland young professional. Through a partnership with BET, TV20, Cleveland State University, SOUP, and the Hip Hop Caucus, the event will provide discussions about programs, industries, issues and activities for young professionals in the area.

Described as a “Do-ference,” Why Stay attendees will also take an active role in formulating a plan for Cleveland young professionals alongside local leaders like County Executive Ed Fitzgerald.

Why Stay will be separated into three tracks – Work, Play, and Stay. Some of the sessions include “Education and Bridging the Gap,” “Cleveland’s Food Scene” and “Marketing Cleveland to the World.”

After a day of brainstorming, the event wraps up with a Town Hall and Wine Tasting.

Learn more about this inaugural conference at whystaycle.com and RSVP at whystay2012.eventbrite.com.

***

Whether the arts, volunteering, or community development are your interests, there’s never been a better time for Cleveland’s young professionals to get out there, get engaged and be enriched. Another bonus is that many of these opportunities are free to attend (I love free – free is great!).

However, these are just a few options; if you’re interested in seeing what Cleveland’s other YP organizations are up to, Engage Cleveland has an excellent resource page at engagecleveland.com/yps.

If you’d like to share an upcoming event for young professionals that I didn’t mention, leave it in the comments!

Disclosure: I am a board member of PlayhouseSquare Partners and on the YP Council of the Cleveland Foodbank. From time to time, I will post on upcoming events hosted by these organizations; however, these are events I truly think are interesting beyond my involvement in any organization.

The most recent OBA Meetup took Cleveland bloggers to one of my personal favorite spots in the city, PlayhouseSquare

Sometimes when I’ve been go-go-go on a project, it’s really easy for me to lose sight of why I’m doing it.  In those cases, I have to take a step back and try to look at things as if I’m brand new to it.

I had the chance to do that last week when the Ohio Blogging Association’s latest meetup traveled to PlayhouseSquare for a behind-the-scenes tour with Partners, the theatre’s young professionals group.

Old show posters hang on the backstage wall of the Palace Theatre stage

The last backstage tour I attended was right after joining Partners a few years ago. And now that we’re about to launch a new season of Partners events I figured it was about time I brushed up on my PlayhouseSquare history — the OBA meetup was the perfect excuse.

Our tour last Wednesday wrapped through the Palace, State, Ohio and Allen Theatres on Euclid Avenue.

We heard tales about ghosts haunting the theatre, how some of the murals and artwork came to be (and in many cases came-to-be returned) and why the State Theatre lobby was the longest in the world. (Fun Fact: because the State Theatre’s auditorium is actually behind the Ohio, a lobby the size of three was needed to accommodate a marquee on Euclid next to the other theatres).

And just like when you re-read your favorite novel, I even learned a few new things while seeing the backstage dressing rooms for the first time and catching a glimpse of the Ohio Theatre as it undergoes the installation of new seating.

A bunch of us never realized the column heads in the theatre had a longhorn skull design (thanks, Scott, for pointing it out!)

The evening was the perfect way to reaffirm why I love being a part of PlayhouseSquare Partners. Sure, I love the fact that through Partners I’ve met friends, had fun at theatre and non-theatre events, and gotten discounts to Jump Back Ball.

However, going on the blogger tour and seeing fellow Clevelanders get so excited about PlayhouseSquare reinforced my #1 reason for being a member.

Being a member gives me the ability to support an organization that makes a huge impact on the city.  An organization that is a great example of how you can rebuild yourself in Cleveland, even after almost-being razed to the ground in the 1970s.

From contributing to PlayhouseSquare’s education mission to fundraising through Jump Back Ball, Partners helps the country’s 2nd largest theatre district provide entertainment and vital economic development to Northeast Ohio. Oh, and we have a lot of fun while doing it!

8/2: Partners’ free YP Night at Cinema at the Square

If you’re interested in learning more about PlayhouseSquare Partners while enjoying a free movie, you can join us on August 2 at YP Night at the Cinema.

Starting at 6pm,  PlayhouseSquare Partners is hosting a free pre-movie party for young professionals in the Ohio Theatre. There will be drinks, movie theater snacks, and networking. Plus, all of the Partners committees will have info about this year’s upcoming events — including the announcement of this year’s Jump Back Ball theme.

If you like what you see and want to join Partners, we’re also offering 20% off your membership that evening. So a $100 Mezzanine membership will cost only $80 (you’ll save twice if you plan on attending Jump Back Ball, because one of the membership benefits is a discount to JBB).

A ticket to the YP pre-party also gets you a free ticket to the West Side Story sing-a-long

And after the party, you’ll have a free ticket to the West Side Story Sing-a-Long which starts at 7:30pm.

I may not be that great at math but even I can see that adds up to a good deal.

Admission for YP Night at the Cinema is free, but tickets are required. You can get a free ticket by calling 216-640-8408.

A glimpse from the Palace Theatre stage, where all of the films in the Cinema at the Square are playing

After last week’s blogger tour, we grabbed drinks and a small bite to eat at the newly opened Alex Bistro where I got to mingle a bit.

Unfortunately, after having a particularly hectic day at work, I was a bit too flustered to have a chance to talk as much as I’d like with everyone — especially a few bloggers like Katie O, Karen and Lillia that I saw in real life for the first time after following them online.

However, it looks like I’ll have a chance to do that at our next event when the OBA goes to the Happy Dog for a blogger roundtable in the Underdog. In the meantime, I’ll have to suffice with keeping up on their blogs!

Some of the blogger tour enjoying dinner and drinks at Alex Bistro (photo courtesy of WhyCLE)

You can too – check out these bloggers and some of the recaps from the PlayhouseSquare tour:

• Alicia from Poise in Parma and PIP Aunt Kathy (her recap)
• Amie from My Retro Kitchen
• “Cleveland Chick” from Happiness is a Hot Pierogi
• Crystal from Eat Drink Cleveland
• Dave from Health Insurance Issues with Dave and Again? Really?
• De-de from @DedeMulligan
• Holly from Rust Belt Runner  (her recap)
• Jen from Why CLE?  (her recap)
• Julie from Am I There Yet  (her recap)
• Julie from ROJ Running  (her recap)
• Julie from Wearing Mascara  (her recap)
• Katie from Beer and Clothing in Cleveland  (her recap)
• Karen from The NotMom.com
• Kasey at A Case Of…
• Kimberly from SMITTEN…in cleveland
• Lilia from Lilia Write Now
• Lyn from Life Lyn Style and husband Stephen from Skywired.net
• Nidhi from NIDHIZZLE
• Reanna from Big Shot Dot The I
• Sarah from Cooker Girl
• Stuart from sosAssociates and wife Julie (their recap)
• Tammy from Miss WineOH

Disclosure: As mentioned in previous posts, I serve on the board of PlayhouseSquare Partners. From time-to-time, I will share upcoming Partners events because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time as a member and feel it’s an organization other Young Professionals who want to support the arts will enjoy as well.

PlayhouseSquare Partners Presents Bartending for Buses, May 17 at Around the Corner

Although Jump Back Ball may be the first thing that comes to mind when PlayhouseSquare Partners is mentioned, the young professionals group also organizes a number of other programs year-round to support Cleveland’s downtown theatre district.

From helping out at the International Children’s Festival to Neighborhood Dine-Arounds and the recent Mini-Golf Par-Tee, Partners offers a broad spectrum of volunteer opportunities and social events for the community to enjoy.

Whenever we have an upcoming event I think you guys might enjoy, I like to share it.  And our next event on May 17 will give you an opportunity to not just eat, drink and be merry, but also help raise money for a great arts cause – PlayhouseSquare’s Bus Fund.

Next Thursday from 7-10, join PlayhouseSquare Partners at Around the Corner (18616 Detroit Ave., Lakewood) for Bartending for Buses.

While the theatre can help introduce students to the arts by providing discounted and free tickets, many schools are still unable to afford the cost of busing students to and from the theatre. Through fundraisers like next week’s “celebrity bartending night,” PlayhouseSquare Partners helps overcome this roadblock by raising money for the bus fund.

Longtime Partners like my Jump Back Ball co-chair Meredith will be doing their best Tom Cruise impersonation and slinging drinks behind the bar. Tip them well because all tips from the evening will go towards the Bus Fund.

School trips are many children’s first introduction to the arts and local theatres, especially for those who may not otherwise be able to afford it. So stop by Around the Corner next Thursday, let us pour you a beer or shot, and drink up — for the kids!

Disclosure: I serve on the board of PlayhouseSquare Partners, but – as with any event I post about – am sharing this event because I think it is something that would interest people who read my blog.

After placing all of the entries into an Excel document to separate blog post pingbacks from actual entries …

…and then using random.org to pick our winner:

I am happy to announce that entry 32 – Mike –  has won two tickets to next week’s Par-Tee on May 17! Looks like all that daily tweeting paid off! Please email me at clueintocleveland (at) gmail (dot) com to redeem your prize.

If you didn’t win tickets but would like to join me in playing putt-putt in the Palace Theatre, you can order tickets ($30 per ticket – or $20 if you become a Partner) by contacting Molly Franz at 216-348-5265 or emailing franzm@playhousesquare.org.

Also, keep an eye out on Clue Into Cleveland over the next couple of days because May has turned into the month of CLE giveaways and I have a new one to announce soon!