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Good morning! Cleveland is still awesome. But don’t take our word for it—scroll down and see what’s making headlines (and head turns) this week. 📰👀✨

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

• Three of the season’s biggest festivals hit Cleveland… on the same day

• Downtown transformation: Cleveland tops nation for third straight year

• Hey, lakefront, ready for your close-up? North Coast Yard is here

• Soho says goodbye to West 25th this weekend

• Goth hounds & horror freaks: Your time has come

• ICYMI: The 216 Cleveland Patio Guide: Top bars and restaurants

• Sausage Fest: A cultural movement in the making?

  
  
  John Petkovic & Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

Three of the season’s biggest festivals hit Cleveland… on the same day

Summer is in sight and the celebrations keep rolling in. Three of the season’s biggest hit Cleveland on Saturday:

Parade the Circle: The season’s most colorful event transforms University Circle into an artful mass of puppets, masks, floats, slits, dancers and music. It’s expected to bring 1,500 marchers and 50,000 people to University Circle – a far cry from its 1990 debut, when it attracted a few hundred onlookers. The parade runs noon to 4 p.m. More info.

The Hooley: It’s a street party, a bar crawl, a homecoming – and it’s expected to bring 30,000 people to Lorain Avenue, between Rocky River Drive and West 165th Street. It features two stages, family activities, bands, performers and food. “Hooley” is Irish slang for celebration – so party down in Kamms Corners. Noon to 7 p.m. More info.

Juneteenth Freedom Fest: The fifth annual festival celebrates the end of slavery with bands, games, a Vendor Village and "Soul Food Row." Karamu House, the country’s oldest producing black theater company, headlines with “Before I Let Go” – a tribute to Frankie Beverly and Maze. The fest starts at noon in Mall C. More info.

A MESSAGE FROM GREYT

Event: Another Cleveland Sausage Festival 🍺🌭

When: Sat, Jun 14 | 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Where: Der Braumeister, 13046 Lorain Ave, Cleveland, OH 44111

Age: 21+ Only

Celebrate all things sausage, beer, and music at this fun-filled Cleveland festival! Join the community and enjoy the smoky, spicy goodness of bratwurst and more, paired with music and cold beer. This year, experience the flavors of Der Braumeister Pub as they serve up their legendary sausages. Let’s kick off a new tradition! 🎉

Tickets Starting at $10 – RSVP now for a legendary day of food and fun!

Downtown transformation: Cleveland tops nation for third straight year

Downtown was getting emptier by the month and there seemed to be no way forward.

The Great Recession of 2008 had claimed thousands of jobs and one of the city’s most important companies, National City Bank. Property values collapsed; vacancies skyrocketed.

Out of ashes came opportunities – and they’ve led to Cleveland being named the top city for office-to-residential conversions in the country for the third consecutive year. A new report by real estate firm CBRE finds that 8.4% of downtown office space is planned or under construction for conversion into residences or hotels.

Since 2016, more than 3.5 million square feet of downtown office space has been reinvented – including iconic buildings like The Standard, Terminal Tower, the former May Co. and the 55 and 75 Public Square buildings.

Cleveland’s emergence as a national leader has accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. The city has focused on older, less competitive office spaces while preserving those still viable for business use.

Two high-profile reinventions are coming:

The Rose Building: Built in 1902, the 10-story building and former Medical Mutual headquarters will start its conversion into a Marriott boutique hotel and luxury apartments late summer.

Erieview Tower: The 40-story skyscraper and the adjacent Galleria will start the process to transform into residential apartments, office space, restaurants, a rooftop bar and a Marriot W Hotel later this year.

Hey, lakefront, ready for your close-up? North Coast Yard is here

The pickleball and basketball courts are ready. The roller rink is complete. The food trucks are ready to serve.

Alright, Cleveland, the lakefront is ready for its close-up. At 5 p.m. today, North Coast Yard will celebrate its grand opening in the city-owned lot next to the Steamship Mather, north of Browns Stadium

The pop-up park features recreational sports and activities, food and drink vendors, live music and DJs, as well as covered places where you lounge around by Lake Erie. It will also provide Clevelanders with an early glimpse of the city’s plans for the lakefront.

“This project is a key step in creating a vibrant, equitable waterfront that connects people with nature and the city,” according to a statement by North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation, which developed and will operate the park.

Today’s opening also marks the start of Friday roller skating nights. The park will also host Saturday barbecues, monthly parties every second Saturday, a Wednesday basketball league and a Fourth of July celebration. More info on times and events here.

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The 216 Rundown

Soho says goodbye to West 25th this weekend; new chapter awaits

Whether it was Derby Day or the dead of winter, Soho Chicken + Whiskey made the day warmer. For 13 years, the bar and restaurant was the go-to place for fans of southern cooking and a deep cocktail and spirits list – not to mention it’s so-ho (short for Southern hospitality). Well, its stay on West 25^th is coming to an end. On Saturday, Soho will serve its final meal. Rising rents on the street forced chef-owner Nolan Konkoski to out. But worry not: Soho is  moving into the former home of Xinji Noodle Bar at 4211 Lorain Ave. Meanwhile, Chipotle is taking over the vacated Soho space.

Goth hounds & horror freaks: Your time has come

Hmm, should I wear black lipstick? But wait, no one will even see it if I’m also wearing a hockey mask… Egads, it’s Goth Night: Friday the 13^th Edition at B-Side Lounge in Cleveland Heights. (Yes, dummy, that means tonight.) It promises a night of debauchery for Goth and horror freaks. Sway away in the darkness as DJ WAR and DJ Lisa Frank spin away. More here.

ICYMI: The 2025 Cleveland Patio Guide: Top bars and restaurants for summer

Raise a glass to the golden days of summer… It’s the 216 Scoop Cleveland Patio Guide. It’s our road map to the best bar and restaurant patios in the area, and we’ll add to and update it over the coming weeks. Check it out here. And feel free to print it out and follow the map through summer

NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Sausage Fest: A cultural movement in the making?

Cleveland enthusiast Thomas Fox has been turning ideas into action for 15 years, and he’s inspired many to join in the party. From Bad Racket to Brite Winter to Golden Hour Rooftop Parties, the founder of Greyt Culture has been getting things done -- easy, over drinks, conversation, music and movies.

His latest endeavor starts Saturday (1-6 p.m.), and he’s hoping to turn it into a movement… Or, at least, a fun time worth having over and over again.  

Break out the beer and brats for Another Cleveland Sausage Festival at Der Braumeister.  

“Cleveland deserves a sausage festival of legendary proportions,” he says. “We’re firing up the dream from the patio of one of Cleveland’s oldest German pubs… This isn’t just about food. It’s about culture, community, and that universal joy of eating meat off a stick with a liter of beer in hand.”

It also rolls out a barrel of bands: Quick Mystery, False Teeth, Blanket Party and Fruit Fly. More info here.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

Cleveland, 1939. Work Projects Administration layoff protest.

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WEATHER

Friday, June 13

🌡️ 73°F / 65°F | 🌧️ 55% Rain | 💨 Winds at 4 mph (3.5 knots)

Saturday, June 14

🌡️ 70°F / 66°F | 🌧️ 85% Rain | 💨 Winds at 4 mph (3.5 knots)

Sunday, June 15

🌡️ 75°F / 65°F | 🌧️ 45% Rain | 💨 Winds at 4 mph (3.5 knots)

_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

Live Shows in the 216

June 13, 2025

• Anna Scott Music at West Park Station - 6:00 PM

• Coastal Country at Yankies Bar & Grill - 6:00 PM

• Danny Christian at The Pub in Kent - 5:00 PM

• Dustin Nickerson at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre - 6:30 PM

• Floco Torres at A night with Floco Torres and friends at 7:30 PM

• Gouted Corpse at Ichabod Crane Album Release - 7:00 PM

• Justo Guitar Saborit at Laurello vineyards (solo) 6-9pm - 6:30 PM

• Kevin Spencer Music at Full Gospel Mission Church - 7:00 PM

• Leven Kali at House of Blues Cleveland - 7:00 PM

• Mike Protich at Musica - 7:00 PM

• NOBRO at Go For Broke Tour: No Class - 7:00 PM

• Night Terrors at The Treelawn - 7:30 PM

• Royel Otis at Blossom Music Center - 7:00 PM

• The Oak Ridge Boys at Hartville Kitchen - 7:00 PM

• Vana at VANA Live w/ Honey Revenge, Daisy Grenade, Nightlife - 6:00 PM

• Zach Top at The Country Fest 2025 - 8:00 PM

June 14, 2025

• Ashley Cooke at The Country Fest 2025 - 6:00 PM

• Cazes at Good Night John Boy - 11:30 PM

• Daddio at The Treelawn - 6:00 PM

• Danny Christian at Market District Supermarket - 12:00 PM

• Grunge DNA at the Time Warp - Westlake - 9:00 PM

• JustDeeDeeMusic at JustDeeDeeMusic Live @ Castaway Craig's - 2:00 PM

• Megan Moroney at Jacobs Pavilion - 8:00 PM

• Melted Bodies at Grog Shop - 7:00 PM

• Old skool at Upper Deck Bar & Grill - 4:00 PM

• SWEET SPINE at Horse The Band - 6:00 PM

• Tommy James & The Shondells at Goodyear Theater - 7:00 PM

• Victor Samalot / Solo instrumental Guitarist at Mentor Farmers Market - 3:00 PM

• Yearb4 at Musica - 6:00 PM

June 15, 2025

• Alex Bevan at The Treelawn - 7:00 PM

• Big Country at Big Country Eastworld Tour - Lakewood, OH - 7:20 PM

• Cults at Beachland Ballroom & Tavern - 7:00 PM

• Daddio at The Treelawn - 6:00 PM

• Halsey at Blossom Music Center - 7:00 PM

• Illuminati Hotties at Grog Shop - 7:00 PM

• Megan Moroney at Jacobs Pavilion - 8:00 PM

• Melted Bodies at Grog Shop - 7:00 PM

• Old skool at Upper Deck Bar & Grill - 4:00 PM

• Sunshine Daydream Ohio at Rockin On The River - 5:00 PM

• Tommy Fox at Beachland Ballroom & Tavern - 8:00 PM

• Vana at VANA Live w/ Honey Revenge, Daisy Grenade, Nightlife - 6:00 PM

• Wexford at Huron Boat Basin and Amphitheater - 7:00 PM

• Zach Top at The Country Fest 2025 - 8:00 PM

• Victor Samalot / Solo instrumental Guitarist at Mentor Farmers Market - 3:00 PM

_{For tickets and more info}

The 216 Sports Area

Upcoming Games

Guardians

Away vs Mariners, Friday 10:10pm

Away vs Mariners, Saturday 9:40pm

Away vs Mariners, Sunday 4:10pm

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