Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: You know it's baseball season when your evening plans depend entirely on what inning the Guardians are in. Dinner can wait. Apparently, so can everything else ⚾ 🧢
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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:
Fall Is for Cleveland Cuisine: Rudy’s Celebrates With Dog Pound Pierogis & Record-Store Vibes
Once the Heart of Suburbia, Southland Gets a $50 Million Reboot
One Pitch Changes Everything as Guards Crush White Sox
Get Out of the House: Your Six-Pack for the Weekend
Browns’ Pass Rush, Rookie Weapons Eye Big Opportunity vs. Struggling Jets
John Petkovic & Jude Perez
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IN THE NEWS
Fall Is for Cleveland Cuisine: Rudy’s Celebrates With Dog Pound Pierogis & Record-Store Vibes
The sun’s down before 7. The leaves are changing color. Sweater weather is here.
Fall is the season of comfort foods that define Cleveland Cuisine.
“We’re like bears stocking up heading into hibernation,” says Lidia Trempe, aka Cleveland’s pierogi queen and owner of Rudy’s Strudel and Bakery in Parma. “Now’s the time for pierogis and chili.”
Rudy’s will be serving both – together – when it celebrates National Pierogi Day at Noon Saturday in the parking outside the bakery and neighboring The Current Year record store. Info.
“We’re excited about the Browns,” says Trempe. “What better way to celebrate than creating a Dawg Pound Chili Pierogi?”
The bash simulates a tailgate with burgers and a hot pierogi bar.
It also celebrates the six-year anniversary of The Current Year.
Mummy and The Monkey – the local YouTubers hosts who don get-ups – will provide zany entertainment.
“Summer is for salads and ice cream,” adds Trempe. “Fall is when we eat like Clevelanders.”
Many of the foods were brought over from the Old World. Even more are unique hybrids of Black and European cuisine.
Next week we’ll look at the Cleveland comfort classics and places to find them – from Polish Boys to paprikash, chili, stuffed cabbage and goulash.
🥟 What is your ultimate Cleveland fall comfort food?
- 🥟 Pierogis: the Dog Pound Chili Pierogi from Rudy’s is exactly what fall in Cleveland tastes like
- 🌭 Polish Boys: the only food that belongs at a tailgate and also a snowstorm
- 🥘 Stuffed cabbage or paprikash: Old World comfort that Cleveland made its own
- 🍲 Chili: on a pierogi, over a hot dog, in a bowl, Cleveland finds a way
Once the Heart of Suburbia, Southland Gets a $50 Million Reboot
When it opened in 1951, Southland Shopping Center was hailed for bringing modern retail to Middleburg Heights – a former farmland that experienced rapid growth during the second wave of suburbia.
The area once housed Southland Lanes, the Mercury Theater and Halle’s.
The bowling alley closed two years ago. The Mercury and Halle’s closed in ’95 and ’82, respectively.
There was also Sear’s – one of the few Googie-style buildings in the area, opened in 1962.
Its closing in 2017 marked the end of Southland heyday.
All that remains of the iconic spots is the first Marc’s store, which opened in ’79.
But a new day is coming.
The Port of Cleveland has approved $50 million in bonds for Allium – an open air, lifestyle center project that is part of the city’s redevelopment of the Southland District.
Construction will start this month for the project, which will include 14,000 square feet of restaurant and retail.
The Port is also helping fun two other projects: a Hampton/Home2Suites hotel near SouthPark Mall, and Belle Oaks, a 70-acre redevelopment in the former Richmond Mall.
🏗 What does Southland’s $50 million open-air lifestyle center mean for first-ring Cleveland suburbs?
- 🌿 Allium as an open-air lifestyle destination: this is exactly what Middleburg Heights has been missing since 2017
- 🏛 The first Marc’s still anchoring the site since 1979: that kind of loyalty deserves to be rewarded with something around it
- 🎳 Mourning what was: Southland Lanes, the Mercury Theater and Halle’s defined a generation and nothing replaces them
- 📈 Port of Cleveland backing Allium plus Belle Oaks plus a hotel near SouthPark: the first-ring suburb investment wave is real
One Pitch Changes Everything as Guards Crush White Sox
The Guardians were down and out.
Sloppy start by Parker Messick. Lack of focus, feeble swings. Bullpen that couldn’t throw a strike.
But baseball can turn on a single pitch – and the momentum shift came from an unlikely source.
Down 2-0 in the fifth, Patrick Bailey delivered the second-hardest hit ball of his career – a 110 MPH homer to give the team life.
Then came a two-run blast from Jose Ramirez, who has powered the Guards the last two games.
Even after falling behind, they dialed up a six-run sixth.
Just think: They batted .115 in Game 1 and 2 – and hit .300 with 18 runs in the last two games.
They now have the highest on-base percentage and run tally per game of any team. Wait, what?
The roller coaster season pulls up to Progressive Field – 8 p.m. Saturday.
The 216 Rundown
Get Out of the House: Your Six-Pack for the Weekend
FRIDAY
Herzog: The return of the Cleveland indie-rocker heroes includes two other stellar bands: Dreadful Yawns, and Awesome*Quest. 9 p.m. Happy Dog. Info.
SATURDAY
Spooky Pooch Parade: The 17th annual dog-a-thon brings hundreds of pups to Madison Park in Lakewood. They woof, they wag, they march. 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Info.
Berea’s Haunted Trails at Coe Lake: The walk through Coe’s dark trails features costumed characters/actors, animatronics and frightening props. 7 p.m. Info.
Halloween Cover Show: Don your costume as bands pay tribute to Siouxsie & the Banshees, Godsmack, Dead Milkman and Flith/Blatz. No Class. 8 p.m. Info.
SUNDAY
Aaron Berg: The wild man of comedy and actor in The Boondock Saints II, Detroit Rock City and The Kitchen brings his rapid-fire delivery to Hilarities. 7 p.m. Info.
🔥 Today’s Hot Property
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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
Photos courtesy Cleveland Browns
Browns’ Pass Rush, Rookie Weapons Eye Big Opportunity vs. Struggling Jets
There are reasons for optimism we wrote in our Browns season preview. And we’re seeing them as the Browns stand in first place at 3-1.
They have had two stellar drafts that now make up the nucleus of the team: Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Mason Graham and Harold Fannin Jr. (2025) and KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Spencer Fano and Austin Barber (2026).
The team will need them to step up when it takes on the Jets at MetLife Stadium, 1 p.m. Sunday
On offense: The 1-3 Jets have struggled so far, but they’re stellar defending the pass. Mix in short passes to Fannin and Judkins to take advantage of NY’s subpar linebackers to open up the field.
On defense: Cleveland’s pass rush dominated Pittsburgh and must take advantage of NY’s offensive line, which has struggled to protect quarterback Geno Smith, creating an opportunity for Cleveland’s defensive front to take control of the game.
🏈 What gives you the most confidence heading into Sunday’s Browns vs Jets game?
- 🛡 The pass rush that dominated Pittsburgh: if it shows up against NY’s struggling offensive line, Geno Smith is in trouble
- 🌟 Fannin and Judkins in the short passing game: exploiting the Jets’ subpar linebackers is the exact right game plan
- 📊 First place at 3-1 with a 1-3 opponent: the schedule set this up perfectly
- 🧱 Two stellar draft classes finally playing together: Schwesinger, Graham, Concepcion, Boston all in the same backfield
VINTAGE CLEVELAND
Cleveland's legendary music club Leo's Casino, 1969. Acts that played the club that year included Gladys Knight and the Pips, the 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder, Flip Wilson and Sly and the Family Stone.
Cleveland Public Library
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Extra Sprinkles
WEATHER
Friday, October 9
69 °F 🌡️ 56 °F | ☀️ (Sunny) | 0% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 8 mph W (≈ 7 knots)
Saturday, October 10
76 °F 🌡️ 58 °F | ⛅ (Partly Cloudy) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 13 mph SE (≈ 11 knots)
Sunday, October 11
65 °F 🌡️ 61 °F | 🌧️ (Rain) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 13 mph SE (≈ 11 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 9
Bruiser Wolf w/ Asaka The Renegade, Nuke Franklin, Hoodie BK, VENO, DJ Scottstradamus — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Dan St. Germaine — Hilarities, 7 & 9:45 (also Saturday)
Drag Bingo with Veranda L'Ni & Friends — Music Box (Supper Club), 6 PM
Ian McConnell — Foundry, 7 PM
Open Mike Eagle w/ Me:You — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Punchis! Punchis! Banda Rave (18+) — House of Blues, 9 PM
SLIFT w/ Rhododendron — Beachland Ballroom, 7 PM
Sugar w/ J. Robbins — Agora Theatre, 7 PM
Top Shows on Saturday, October 10
Julia Wolf w/ Bee Blackwell — The Roxy at Mahall’s, 7 PM
Here Come the Mummies — House of Blues, 7 PM
Jed Harrelson — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Lenny Pearce: Toddler Rave World Tour — Agora Theatre, 4 PM
Nocturnal: Goth Homecoming — Foundry, 9 PM
The Clarks w/ Jack Fords — Beachland Ballroom, 7 PM
Top Shows on Sunday, October 11
Chasing Abbey, Achill Crossing — Grog Shop, 7 PM
Fred Eaglesmith — Beachland Tavern, 7 PM
Giovannie and the Hired Guns — Mahall’s, 7 PM
Insomniac, God’s End, Patron of Beggars — No Class, 6 PM
National Coming Out Day Drag Brunch — Foundry, 12:30 PM
Pat Metheny — Agora Theatre, 6 PM
Tab Benoit w/ Ghalia Volt: Soul of the Swamp Tour — House of Blues, 7 PM
Wednesday 13 – Shocktober Blood Tour — Mercury, 6:30 PM
The 216 Sports Area
Upcoming Games
Browns
Away vs. Jets, 1 PM October 11 (Sunday)
Cavaliers
Home vs. Celtics, 7 PM October 8 (Thursday)
Home vs. Magic, 6:30 PM October 11 (Sunday)
Guardians
Home vs. CWS, TBD October 10 (Saturday) — ALDS Game 5 *if necessary
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