🎸 Grog Shop Turns 34

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: The Browns have found some life, Watson has found some confidence, and suddenly 3-1 doesn’t sound quite so crazy. Here’s what changed 🏈🔥💪

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John Petkovic & Jude Perez

Enough bad nights and weeks, and you can forget about being open for months, let alone years — which makes the Grog Shop’s 34-year run so rare.

“We’ve done about 300 shows a year, so do the math,” says Grog Shop owner Kathy Blackman. “Wow, that’s a lot of shows... Like 10,000?”

This weekend, the Coventry club celebrates its 34th anniversary by doing what it does... shows. Info.

Blackman worked as a waitress at Club Isabella before diving into the club world with two co-workers in the building that now houses Koko Bakery.

She had no experience running a club. She loved music and thought it would be fun.

It was a low-budget operation: Drinks and food at first. No AC. Oh, and no band room and the bathrooms weren’t exactly posh.

After losing its lease, the club reopened up the street in 2003, with a bigger stage, band room and, yes, nicer bathrooms.

The club has hosted up-and-comers and legends. – from Oasis (tickets $6) and GZA to Bruno Mars, Dolemite, Dick Dale, Eliot Smith, MGK, Flaming Lips, Kid Cudi, Melvins and Interpol.

It takes more than bands and booze to keep a music club thriving for 34 years.

Sometimes it comes down to a pair of shoes.

"GZA was playing the club and wanted a special kind of Air Jordans," says longtime Grog employee John Neely. "I spent half a day going from store to store looking for those things."

To boo or not to boo?

The media keeps asking how Browns fans will greet Desaun Watson when he takes the field against the Panthers at 1 p.m. Sunday, Huntington Bank Field.

Wait until halftime.

Winning changes everything – and Watson’s performance in the win against Tampa Bay has Browns fans hoping for more.

Then he tried to make peace with fans in a Wednesday press conference:

“I never try to go at war with the fans. I’m ready for support, ready to feel their energy, ready to get this big dub for the city of Cleveland.”

The Panthers are mediocre, so it’s a winnable game. The Steelers, whom the Browns play on Thursday here, are worse – and sit below the Browns in the NFL.com’s latest rankings.

Fans are dreaming of a 3-1 record. They’ll wait — then, if it goes bad…

Plant-based eating has gone from the margins to the mainstream.

Interest has doubled, with Americans identifying as vegan rising to 6% over the last decade.

“People are increasingly conscious of the environment, health, living animal-free,” says Akin Affrica, who is bringing the fast-growing Slutty Vegan chain to the area.

You see it the food scene.

“Just 15 years ago, it was hard to find vegan and even vegetarian offerings,” says Matt Fish owner of Proof Public House. “Not anymore.”

Cleveland has seen rapid growth in vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Even traditional eateries have joined in with broader options.

There’s also VegFest – a celebration of plant-based eating that hits Lincoln Park in Tremont at Noon Saturday.

The Cleveland Vegan Society threw its first bash in 2013, in the CSU student center.

Now it’s one of the largest vegan events in the Midwest, attracting 10,000 people – not to mention food venders, speakers, cooking demos and animal welfare advocates. Info.

FRIDAY

IngenuityFest: This year’s installment of the art and technology bash rolls out a circus show, and wrestlers, interactive installations, and performers and bands on six stages. 6 p.m. (Also Saturday-Sunday). Info.

Meet Me at Twilight Market: Oooky-spooky, it’s a themed bash with vampires, werewolves, vendors, food and cocktails. 5 p.m. at The Foundry. Info.

Godfrey: You’ve seen him, he’s it all – from acting in Zoolander, Bullseye, Original Gangstas and Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter to doing standup on Comedy Central and BET. 6:30 & 9 p.m. at Funny Bone. (Also Saturday). Info.

SATURDAY

XCSB Flea Market: Vendors hawking records, vintage clothes, comics, art and collectibles pull up to the Beachland Ballroom. 10 a.m. Info.

SUNDAY

Jim Henson's Labyrinth: In Concert 40th Anniversary: Experience the '80s cult classic with the soundtrack performed by a live band on stage, accompanied by David Bowie's vocals. 6:30 p.m., the Agora. Info.

Zero Boys: The hardcore legends headline a punkathon bill that includes the Effigies, Strains and Robert Conn Band. 8 p.m., Beachland Tavern. Info.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

Dolly Parton’s love for the area went beyond her sold-out shows.

“[Ohio] is kind of like a second state because many of my family live in Ohio—different parts, Cleveland, Akron, Willoughby. I used to visit Ohio when I was little to visit family,” she once said.

In response, Ohio has declared today Dolly Parton Day as a nod to her hit ‘9 to 5.’

Playhouse Square, 1969. It had fallen into disrepair — so much so that it had a date with the wrecking in the early 1970s. Until civic activists stepped in to save it in what is Cleveland’s greatest preservation story.

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop on Facebook & @scoopcle on Instagram to get your photos in the Scoop!

68 °F 🌡️ 55 °F | ☀️ (Mostly Sunny) | 5% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 14 mph NE (≈ 12 knots)

68 °F 🌡️ 57 °F | ☀️ (Sunny) | 5% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 13 mph NNE (≈ 11 knots)

69 °F 🌡️ 58 °F | ☀️ (Mostly Sunny) | 5% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 13 mph N (≈ 11 knots)

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

Away vs. Royals, 7:40 PM September 25 (Friday)

Away vs. Royals, 7:10 PM September 26 (Saturday)

Away vs. Royals, 3:10 PM September 27 (Sunday)

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