🏟️ What Just Happened at the Guards Game?

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: The trees at Cuyahoga Valley are showing off again. Meanwhile, the leaves in your backyard are just creating more work. Nature really does have favorites 🍁🍂

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John Petkovic & Jude Perez

Here comes the middle of fall, when fall foliage season turns green into gold.

Experiencing the changing leaves is an annual pastime for hikers.

Peak season starts this weekend and runs through early November.

Fall foliage is already changing, slowly, due to September’s hot, dry weather. It will reach its peak in the second and third weeks of the month.

Cuyahoga Valley is the top spot this time of year.

The 12th most popular park in the U.S. has been named the fourth best place in the country to see fall foliage.

USA Today and Yahoo! hail CVNA for its mix of sugar and red maples, white and pin oaks, producing striking shades of red, yellow, orange, white and russet folliage.

Five other spots:

Holden Arboretum: 3,600 acres of gardens and wooded areas and the 125-foot-high Kalberer Emergent Tower – to go with the Halloween-themed Skeleton Grove. Info.

North Chagrin Reservation: The Metroparks trail winds through forests to a 20-foot waterfall and Squire’s Castle – said to be haunted by a ghost that roams its ruins. Info.

Bedford Reservation: The deep gorge (a National Natural Landmark) carved out by Tinker’s Creek, boasts picturesque waterfalls and a spectacular vista. Info.

Richfield Heritage Preserve: The 336-acre gem boasts lakes, streams, wildflowers, birds and wooded trails. It was closed off to the public for 75 years, until 2016. Info.

Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve: Once a dump littered with garbage and junked cars, it’s now a peaceful home to lush vegetation, 280 species of birds and stellar views. Info.

The 407-foot homerun won the game.

Petey Halpin’s 25-foot bat flip after his two-run blast into right field turned him into an unlikely viral legend, as the Guardians defeated the Rays 3-2 to go up 2-1 in the ALCS series.

Cleveland took care of business by splitting the two games in St. Petersburg, but they needed Thursday’s win to protect home-field advantage.

“[There’s] no pecking order, no hierarchy. They’re all here to win,” manager Steven Vogt said about the big hit.

Halpin’s take was more colorful: “I think I blacked out. I’m not sure what I was doing, to be honest, but it was fun.”

Game 4 is 6 p.m. tomorrow, weather permitting.

Cleveland City Council plans to extend a moratorium on data centers through January.

No surprise.

They’ve become political poison, especially so close to elections.

Politicians unanimously pushed them for years -- until the public backlash became so obvious that even they noticed.

Soon enough, we could see tech companies joining them, as debt incurred by them to build data centers hits untenable levels.

The upside?

Rising AI debt levels is forcing borrowers to pull back, resulting in lower yields and rates – which means the cost of a mortgage is coming down.

Good news for home buyers.

FRIDAY

Acid Mothers Temple: The Japanese legends bring their max-freak-out brand of cosmic psychedelic and space rock to the Beachland Ballroom. 7 p.m. Info.  

Donnell Rawlings: The comedian-actor who played Ashy Larry on Chappelle’s Show and appeared in The Wire brings his unfiltered, irreverent routine to Hilarities. 7 & 9:45 p.m. (also Saturday). Info.

SATURDAY

Great Pumpkin Festival: The Mapleside Farms family-friendly extravaganza rolls out hayrides, pig races, goats and live entertainment. 11 a.m. (Also Sunday). Info.

Halloween Flea Market: The Winchester breaks out vendors, music and brunch for this annual spooky shopping spree. 1 p.m. Info.

SUNDAY

Buddy Guy: The blues giant and Rock Hall inductee is still on the road, at 90! His tour pulls up to Northfield Park Racino. 7:30 p.m. Info.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

When will this horror end? Not for a while: Scream and shake for "12 Hours of Terror."

At 8 p.m. Saturday, the annual movie marathon will bring buckets of mayhem - not to mention horror geeks and freaks -- to the Cedar-Lee Theatre.

The annual bash will roll out classics such as "Evil Dead,” “The Tingler,” “Frankenhooker” and “The Wizard of Gore.” 2 p.m. Saturday. Info.

Jhonkensy Noel hits a dramatic, pinch-hit, game-tying two-run home run for the Guardians against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS, October 17, 2024.

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62 °F 🌡️ 44 °F | 🌧️💨 (Showers, Windy) | 61% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 22 mph W (≈ 19 knots)

49 °F 🌡️ 40 °F | 🌧️💨 (Showers, Windy) | 40% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 20 mph NW (≈ 17 knots)

57 °F 🌡️ 46 °F | ⛅ (Partly Cloudy) | 24% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 11 mph SSW (≈ 10 knots)

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

Home vs. TB Rays (ALCS Game 4), 8:00 PM October 16 (Friday)

Home vs. TB Rays (ALCS Game 5), 8:00 PM October 17 (Saturday)

Home vs. Ravens, 1 PM October 18 (Sunday)

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