Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: Forget Zillow rankings. The real measure of a great neighborhood is how many full-size Snickers you can collect in 45 minutes. We've got some Halloween neighborhood bragging rights to discuss today 🏡🏆🍫
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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:
Fence-Burning to Freddy Krueger: How Cleveland Invented Spooky Cool
No Trick About It: Cleveland Owns Halloween with Top Streets, Breakout Costume
Cleveland’s Cool Ghoul: How Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ Banned Hit Became a Halloween Anthem
Get Out of the House: Bwahahaha, It’s Halloween
Mummy, Monkey & Pierogi: It’s Parma’s Spookiest Food Drive & Costume Party
John Petkovic & Jude Perez
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IN THE NEWS
Fence-Burning to Freddy Krueger: How Cleveland Invented Spooky Cool
Break out the crazy get-ups, scary flicks and plastic fangs… It’s a Halloween weekend of ghoulishness.
(Check the 216 Rundown below for events.)
Cleveland’s spooky-cool Halloween tradition arrived with Irish and Scottish immigrants in mid-to-late 19th century.
One of the first documented episodes occurred at midnight, Halloween 1897 at the intersection of Scranton and Clark avenues.
A gang of boys armed with hatchets and axes attacked and chopped down a fence, hauled the boards to a vacant lot, and set them ablaze as onlookers joyously sang along.
A tradition of trouble was born.
Halloween went pop with Clevelander Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 1956 ooky-spooky classic, “I Put a Spell on You.” (Read about him below.)
Then came one of the country’s first late-night horror hosts – Ghoulardi, 1961.
The area also spawned The Cramps – whose horror kitsch and B-movie spirit makes them the ultimate Halloween band.
Oh, Freddy Krueger was also born here. Well, sort of.
Horror maestro and Collinwood grad Wes Craven was inspired by a school bully to create the character.
Bravo, Cleveland. You’re good at mayhem.
🔥 What was your Halloween mischief as a kid?
No Trick About It: Cleveland Owns Halloween with Top Streets, Breakout Costume
No trick, Cleveland is good at Halloween.
Buddy – the title character in the unlikely horror-comedy hit – is the one of this year’s top Halloween costumes.
Even better, two trick-or-treat routes have been named among Reese’s top “trick-or-treatiest” streets in America: Scarborough and Webb roads in Cleveland Heights and Lakewood, respectively.
The Hershey peanut butter cup brand chose 150 streets nationwide based on decorations, community participation, walkability, candy and costume sales and Halloween reputation.
According to Reese’s:
Scarborough Road “proves that yardwork can be terrifying,” with neighbors staging skeleton workouts, haunted campsites, and ghostly dinner parties under arches of jack-o’-lanterns.
Webb Road shows that “Halloween moves quickly, where century-old homes stand close enough to create a near-continuous trail of glowing porches. With so little distance between doorbells, even tiny monsters can assemble an impressive haul.”
🏡 Which Cleveland street wins Halloween?
Cleveland’s Cool Ghoul: How Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ Banned Hit Became a Halloween Anthem
It was so wild and crazy that radio stations banned it when it came out.
Now, “I Put a Spell on You” is one of rock’s greatest songs, and a Halloween classic.
It made Cleveland native Screamin’ Jay Hawkins the cool ghoul of shock rock 'n' roll.
He hit the stage with voodoo props -- a smoking skull on a stick, a rubber snake and capes – and pulled up to venues in a hearse.
Born in 1929, he lived quite a life:
Hawkins was orphaned as infant and adopted and raised by a Blackfoot couple on the East Side.
By four, he was playing the piano and went on to perform in Cleveland clubs like Gleason’s Musical Bar.
Hawkins also boxed in local Goldens Gloves tournaments and attended East Tech High School before dropping out in 1942 to enlist in the U.S. Army.
He often talked about listening to radio DJ Alan Freed, who inspired him to pop out of a coffin on stage in a Cleveland – which became his signature stunt.
🦇 What's Cleveland’s greatest contribution to Halloween?
The 216 Rundown
Get Out of the House: Bwahahaha, It’s Halloween
FRIDAY
Spooky Jukey: The Halloween emo soiree at the Roxy in Mahall’s rolls out 10 bands, DJs, a zombie fashion show and a costume contest. 6 p.m. Info.
GOBLIN & Tenebre: Italian composer Claudio Simonetti performs the soundtrack to Dario Argento’s horror classic Tenebre at the Cleveland Cinematheque. 8 p.m. Info.
Halloween Extravaganza: The always-fun Happy Dog party features bands paying tribute to Hole, X Ray Spex, Delta 5, The Stooges. Bonus: It’s a benefit for City Dogs. 8 p.m. Info.
Rocky Horror Picture Show: The 1975 sci-fi camp classic about a mad scientist in rickety heels doubles as a Halloween bash at Cedar-Lee. 11:59 p.m. Info.
SATURDAY
Cleveland Halloween Bar Crawl: The roving soiree meets at Corner Alley and cavorts through downtown bars. 4 p.m. Info.
Beachland Halloween Show: Cleveland bands pay tribute to Rage Against the Machine, The Doors, Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, & Paramore. 7 p.m. Beachland Ballroom. Info.
Latin Halloween Fiesta: The hot, sweaty and always-lively TropicalCleveland dance party features 12-piece Colombian band Karibe Son, DJs and a costume contest. 9 p.m. Music Box. Info.
Mushroomhead: Cleveland shock-metalheads play their annual Halloween show at the Agora. Fear Factory opens. 6:30 p.m. Info.
SUNDAY
William Shatner Live with Star Trek II: The intergalactic superstar hits Northfield Park Racino for a special screening of The Wrath of Khan. 7 p.m. Info.
🔥 Today’s Hot Property
📍 3200 Franklin Blvd #109, Cleveland, OH 44113
💰 Price: $413,000
📏 Size: 2,158 sq ft
🏡 Built: 1911 (Updated/Remodeled)
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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
Mummy, Monkey & Pierogi: It’s Parma’s Spookiest Food Drive & Costume Party
A mummy, monkey and pumpkin pierogi show at up at a Halloween bash…
Who wins best costume? We shall find out.
Bring on the 4th annual All Faiths Pantry Food Drive and Halloween Costume Party. Noon Saturday. Info.
The party and market features vendors on the parking lot outside of Rudy’s Strudel and the Current Year records in Parma.
The food drive also rolls out Cleveland horror hosts The Mummy and the Monkey, themed drinks and food and music.
Hey, 216 Scoop will also be there – come hang out with us.
VINTAGE CLEVELAND
For three wild and woolly years, Ernie “Ghoulardi” Anderson notched unprecedented ratings and warped the collective mind of Cleveland. One of America’s first late-night horror hosts, he ruthlessly mocked and interrupted the low-rent flicks with sound effects and firecrackers – something no host did before him. He hit the airwaves Jan. 1963. Cleveland was never the same.
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WEATHER
Friday, October 30
56 °F 🌡️ 46 °F | ☀️ (Mostly Sunny) | 4% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 12 mph NNW (≈ 10 knots)
Saturday, October 31
61 °F 🌡️ 51 °F | ☁️ (Cloudy) | 6% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 9 mph ESE (≈ 8 knots)
Sunday, November 1
69 °F 🌡️ 55 °F | ☁️ (Mostly Cloudy) | 1% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 8 mph SSE (≈ 7 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
Top Shows on Friday, October 30
BEAT: Belew/Vai/Levin/Bozzio Performing the Music of King Crimson — Agora Theatre, 6:30 PM
Greg Morton — Hilarities, 7 & 9:30 PM (Also 7 p.m. Sat-Sun)
Cirque du Souless — Foundry Concert Club, 9 PM
Jukebox Halloween Dance Party with The Sunrise Jones — Music Box, 6 PM
Paul Oakenfold + The Crystal Method w/ Liquid Todd — Globe Iron, 7 PM
The Cleveland BROWN: A Tribute to Ween — Beachland Ballroom, 7 PM
The Longest Johns — House of Blues, 7 PM
The Sword w/ Moon Destroys — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Two Mile Moon (as Interpol) w/ Pro Skater (as Austin Powers), Stonebridge (as Big Thief) — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Top Shows on Saturday, October 31
A Thriller Motown & More with Nitebridge — Music Box, 6 PM
American Werewolves Halloween Show w/ Pantzig, Pill Time, Half Knocked Out, No Bullets till They're Beautiful — No Class, 7 PM
Creepshow: It Came From the Garage w/ Cellophane Jane, Factual Brains, Placid State, Joe Brown Band — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Mahall's Halloween Party: Club Intergalactic — Mahall's, 8 PM
Second Nature w/ DJ sets by Collin Miller & Craig Brodhead — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Top Shows on Sunday, November 1
Las Olas w/ Sofia Krueger, Road Kill — Mahall's, 6 PM
Ohio Hip Hop Awards Anniversary Dinner — Music Box, 4 PM
Post Animal w/ GIFT — Beachland Ballroom, 7 PM
The Amity Affliction: House of Cards 2026 — House of Blues, 6 PM
Wolf & Bear w/ Coletta, Origami Button — Grog Shop, 6:30 PM
The 216 Sports Area
Upcoming Games
Browns
Away vs. Steelers, 1 PM November 1 (Sunday)
Cavaliers
Away vs. Bucks, 8 PM October 31 (Saturday)
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