ClevelandPeople.Com Celebrating Cleveland's Cultural Diversity
2023 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade
2023 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade
The 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade was held on Friday, March 17, 2023 beginning at East 18th St. and Superior Ave. in Downtown Cleveland. Before the Parade the honorees, family members and dignitaries gathered on the Cosgrove Center steps.
The 2023 Honorees are: Grand Marshal - Michael F. "Mickey" Coyne, Irish Mother of the Year - Bridget Conway, Inside Co-Chair - Maureen Cavanaugh and Outside Co-Chair - Kevin McDonough.
See photos and videos of the 2023 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade by following the links below
Despite what you may see in the media, the main focus of St. Patrick's Day for many people and families is beginning the day with Mass. There are special festive Masses at St. Patrick's West Park and St. Patrick's on Bridge for example. The two largest celebrations are hosted by the West Side Irish American Club at St. Colman's Church on West 65th in Cleveland and the Irish American Club East Side at Sts. Robert and William in Euclid. Hundreds pack the churches to start the day and reflect on the true meaning of the day and their heritage and faith.
Bishop Edward Malesic was the main celebrant at the east side Mass. He was joined by about a dozen con-celebrant priests. The Church was standing room only.
Bruce Grieg piping in the Bishop and priests
3 Parade Grand Marshals Mickey Coyne, Gerry Quinn and Bill Homan
The West Side Irish American Club kicked off their 2023 GOAT (Greatest CLE Irish weekend of All Time) weekend with some Irish history. There were two interesting presentations. First was about the ambush Death of Michael Collins - 100th anniversary given by John O'Brien Jr.
John O'Brien Jr. showing the map of the ambush
The second was a presentation on The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) at 25 by John Myers.
John Myers showing the map of Ireland before 1921 and after 1922
Michael F. "Mickey" Coyne is the Grand Marshal of the 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Cleveland. He hosted an event for about 400 friends, family and supporters at the Immaculate Conception Church hall in Willoughby.
Irish Mother of the Year Bridget Conway, Grand Marshal Mickey Coyne and Michelle Morgan
There was lots of food and drink and camaraderie as well as Irish entertainment including the Michael Crawley Band, Murphy Irish Dancers and the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band.
As World War I ended, Lithuania's Act of Independence was signed on February 16, 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. On March 11, 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania passed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, becoming the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence.
The Lithuanian community of Cleveland Ohio USA gathered at their Lithuanian Club to celebrate independence.
This included a concert from Lithuanian born jazz vocalist, composer and kankles player Simona Smirnova who is based in New York City.
International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh.
A ceremony was held in the Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall on February 24, 2023 to commemorate and educate.
We have coverage (video and pictures) of the entire event spread over 3 pages
The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England
The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England
The Cleveland Museum of Art opened a new exhibit - The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England - which is the first exhibition in the US to trace the transformation of the arts in Tudor England.
It includes huge tapestries that fill entire walls, suits of armor, sculptures, portraits and more.
The Tudor dynasty ruled for only three generations but it transformed England from a land devastated by the War of the Roses to a major player in Europe and eventually the rest of the world. This exhibit covers the larger than life personas of Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
Cleveland Rotary honors United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio
Cleveland Rotary honors United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio
The Rotary Club of Cleveland held its annual International Fellowship Day on Thursday February 23, 2023, one day before the 1 year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They honored the United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio.
Some members of United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio
As of February 21, more than 50,000 deaths had been reported and hundreds of thousands displaced and injured. It is a tragedy of immense proportion. As a gesture of support and reflection, the Board of the Syrian Cultural Garden endorsed holding a vigil event at the Garden on February 19, 2023. A list of active civic organizations that are involved in humanitarian relief efforts were provided to the attendees.
Ceata Romanian Folk Ensemble is a cultural dance group led by founder and director Mariana Somogyi and dance instructor and choreographer Ovidiu Ghioda. They performed three dances from the Fagaraa region in Transylvania Romania at the annual Slovenian Kurentovanje Festival in the Slovenian National Home in Cleveland Ohio.
Ceata Romanian Folk Ensemble dancers at Kurentovanje
The annual Cleveland version of the most popular carnival in Slovenia - Kurentovanje - was a week long event featuring cooking demos, language instruction, a dance party, fun run and more. But the highlight was the annual Kurentovanje Parade followed by the festival celebration on Saturday February 18, 2023.
Kurentovanje Queen Eva Ozbolt Kisley (born in 1921!) and Prince Blaz Vavpetic
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent which is 40 days of fasting. That used to mean only one meal a day and full fasting on Friday. (It's been greatly relaxed in modern times but Fridays are still meat-free). Rich foods were not allowed. So the Tuesday before Lent, people of Poland used up their eggs, butter, sugar and fruit by treating themselves one last time before Lent began. Ash Wednesday is on February 22 this year. That means February 21st is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday - and Paczki Day! Another popular Polish-American tradition is celebrated the week before (February 16 this year) with Fat Thursday or Tlusty Czwartek (pronounced Twoosti Chvartek).
But Paczki (punch-key) Day has become much more than a Polish-American tradition. And nobody does it better than Rudy's Strudel in Parma where lines will form early and continue all day. People will ask for paczkis, not realizing that paczki is already the plural of paczek (punch-ek).
Our website visitors voted for Rudy's Strudel as having their Favorite Paczki in Cleveland.
The annual Slovenian Kurentovanje Parade in Cleveland Ohio was held Saturday February 18, 2023. The large Kurents (kurenti) are there to scare away winter and usher in spring. Thousands lined the street near the Slovenian National Home at 64th and St. Clair to watch the Parade and then have music, food, dancing, drinks and lots of fun with the Kurents and thousands of people of Slovenian heritage - at least for the day.
Members of the Turkish and Syrian communities in Cleveland Ohio gathered with family, friends and supporters in the Syrian Cultural Garden on MLK Blvd. on the evening of Friday February 10, 2023. Leena Zahra from the Syrian community and Mehmet Gencer from the Turkish community spoke at a prayer vigil lit by candles.
One young lady holding a picture of her best friend who was killed in the earthquake told how her friends and family back in Syria were reporting that dozens of family members had been killed. The crowd learned of suggested places to donate funds and foods and prayed for the victims.
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathian Mountains are in Eastern Europe and form an arc through several countries including Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Czech Republic, Austria, and Serbia. Important cities such as Kraków (Poland), Bratislava (Slovakia) and Cluj-Napoca (Romania) are in or near the Carpathians.
What is most interesting about the Carpathians are the people who come from there. You may hear them called Rusyns, Rutheni, Ruthenes, Carpatho-Rusyns or another variation but basically they are an East Slavic ethnic group from the Eastern Carpathians in Central Europe. They speak Rusyn, an East Slavic language variety, treated variously as either a distinct language or a dialect of the Ukrainian language.
The Rusyns are inexorably linked to the Carpathian Mountains and vice versa. The Rusyns do not have a specific country to call home. The traditional homeland of the Rusyn people, Carpathian Rus', lies in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains, on the borders of modern-day Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia. Today, approximately three-quarters of Rusyns reside within Ukraine, specifically the geographic region known as Transcarpathia (historic Subcarpathian Rus') The United States holds the largest population of Rusyns outside of Carpathian Rus', mostly within the former industrial centers of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States like Ohio and Pennsylvania. At the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, approximately 225,000 Rusyns immigrated to the US.
This video also covers Aleksander Dukhnovich who is a sort of 'George Washington' of the Rusyns. He is famous for saying "I was, am, and always will be a Rusyn."
This part of Europe has had tremendous geopolitical changes over the years even through the 20th century with the world wars and the forming of Czechoslovakia and dissolution of Yugoslavia and other factors. You will see why Carpatho-Ukraine has been called The One Day Republic. The Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine existed for just one day on March 15, 1939, before it was occupied and annexed by Hungary. The most famous Carpatho-Ukrainian might be Andy Warhol, the pop artist who pioneered the concept of 'fifteen minutes of fame'.
Ukrainian bandura group at Lake Erie Folk Fest this weekend
Black History Month Flag Raising Celebration
Black History Month Flag Raising Celebration
For 50 years the City of Cleveland has celebrated Black History Month with a Flag Raising Celebration.
African Flag over Cleveland City Hall
Despite brutally cold temperatures the crowd marched outside singing and chanting "Ashay". Joining in were Mayor Justin Bibb, Community Relations leader Angela Shute-Woodson and Khalid Samad from Peace in the Hood. After witnessing the flag raised above Cleveland City Hall the crowd went back inside for the rest of the program which included music, speeches, poems, food, community resources and more.
Khalid Samad speaks at Flag Raising
Mayor Justin Bibb with Buffalo Soldiers MC members
Rudy was an immigrant from Hungary who started his store in 1948 at 48th and Storer. It was known for strudel and penny candy. He had two daughters who are still good friends of the current owner, Lidia Trempe.
Lidia's father immigrated from Ukraine and her mother from Poland. When Rudy died in 1979 her mother bought Rudy's and brought in some of her secret old-world recipes for Eastern European favorites such as strudel, kolaczki, potica and others and, of course, paczki.
Rudy's is located in the heart of Parma's Polish Village at 5580 Ridge Road in Parma, OH 44129. Rudy's Strudel & Bakery is now 75 years old but pierogi was not on the original menu. Owner Lidia Trempe said it began when a bakery customer saw them cooking pierogi for the family dinner and ordered some. The rest is history.
The pierogis have become so popular that when we asked our website visitors to let us know where their favorite pierogis come from the clear winner was Rudy's.
So we were happy to award the Cleveland 101 Favorite Pierogi 2023 honor to the legendary Rudy's and presented it to Lidia.
Lidia Trempe with Favorite Pierogi award for Rudy's
Traditional Irish breakfast explained by Gerry Quinn
Traditional Irish breakfast explained by Gerry Quinn
Gerry Quinn was born in Garracloon, County Mayo in Ireland and now lives in Euclid, Ohio. His weekly show, Gerry Quinn Irish Radio (WHK 1420) has been on the air since 1980 and was named Best Ethnic Program in Northeast Ohio. He conceived and chaired the efforts that led to the founding of Cleveland's Irish American Club - East Side in 1978 and the Mayo Society in 1995. He was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame in 2011. So we could think of nobody better to explain the Irish breakfast to us.
We visited the legendary P.J. McIntyre's Irish Pub in Cleveland's Kamm's Corners neighborhood. According to the 2019 U.S. census estimate, this neighborhood has the highest concentration of Irish Americans in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
P.J. McIntyre's serves an all-day Irish Breakfast and in this video Gerry explains what was on the plate. This included beans, bangers (sausages), mushrooms, eggs (we chose over-easy), a form of potato - hash browns in this case, rashers, tomato, soda bread, black pudding and white pudding. And of course s cup of tea.
Rashers are thin slices of back bacon and side bacon that look more like ham than what we know as bacon in the US. Black pudding is a regional type of blood made from pork or beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats, or barley groats. It is different from blood sausages eaten in other parts of the world like the Eastern European blood sausage called kishka (intestine) which is made with pig's blood. White pudding is similar to black pudding, but does not include blood.
Gerry says the breakfast is often called a "fry" in Ireland. Whatever you call it, it is delicious - and very filling.
Black History Month is an annual observance that began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated in February in the US and Canada, while in Ireland and the United Kingdom it is observed in October. The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which dates Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.
In 1915, Woodson had participated in the Lincoln Jubilee, a celebration of the 50-years since emancipation from slavery held in Bronzeville, Chicago. The summer-long Jubilee drew attendance from across the county with thousands of attendees to see exhibitions of heritage and culture, impressing Woodson with need to draw organized focus to the history of black people, and he led the founding of the ASNLH that fall.
Fast forward to 1969. Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970.
Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history".
Cleveland International Hall of Fame - 2023 Class
Cleveland International Hall of Fame - 2023 Class
Since 2010, the Cleveland International Hall of Fame (CIHF) has inducted people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our multicultural society. Cleveland is home to people representing about 120 different ethnic groups. The CIHF exists not only to honor those special people but also to inspire a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps.
The induction dinner and ceremony will be held Tuesday April 18, 2023 at Windows on the River in Cleveland. Doors open for a social hour at 5PM and the program begins promptly at 6PM.
WKYC news anchor Russ Mitchell will be the MC and Bishop Edward Malesic will give the invocation. A special keynote speaker is planned.
For sponsorship opportunities, messages of support in the large color collector's edition program book, sponsorship packages and the like please call Debbie at 216-506-6594 or e-mail dan@clevelandpeople.com.
For individual tickets (seating in any open area not reserved for sponsors - first come, first served) pay via PayPal using the link below.
Look for bios and photos of the inductees and more coming soon.
Global Cleveland 2022 Annual Meeting and Awards
Global Cleveland 2022 Annual Meeting and Awards
Global Cleveland is a non-profit organization that attracts, welcomes and connects international newcomers to economic, social and educational opportunities in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Their 2022 annual meeting was held at the County Library in Parma on December 8, 2022. They also honored 5 community leaders including our own Dan Hanson.
In this episode of Fun with Maps host Dan Hanson looks at a very special map - a map that wasn't recorded because it was dangerous to do so. It's the map of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early 1800s to help slaves escape into free states and Canada. It was run by abolitionists and others sympathetic to the cause of the escapees. Ohio had many stops on the Underground Railroad. Canada was an ultimate destination since they had abolished slavery in 1793. The short distance across Lake Erie from Cleveland to Canada made the city a popular destination. Cleveland was codenamed Hope on the Underground Railroad and the ultimate destination was Port Stanley in Ontario Canada which was codenamed Praise the Lord.
We recorded this episode at the Cozad-Bates House at the corner of Mayfield and East 115th Street in University Circle (just north of the Little Italy Neighborhood) in Cleveland. It is the only surviving pre-Civil War building in University Circle. The house has been restored by a non-profit called Restore Cleveland Hope and we spoke with board members and docents Kevin Cronin and Kathryn Puckett to examine the maps. We began with a map of Cleveland Ohio in 1957 and then widened to a map of the Western Reserve which shows how close (50 miles!) Canada is to Cleveland. Then we looked at Underground Railroad maps in Ohio. Experts say there were more routes to Canada through Ohio than anywhere else. This included the town near Cincinnati which was the setting for the book which influenced Abraham Lincoln, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
We looked at St. John's Church, still in existence at West 28th and Church in Cleveland. This Church has been documented as a site that house slaves on the Underground Railroad. We heard about John Brown the black barber who operated on Cleveland's Public Square. And Kathryn reminded us that where her family came from in Oklahoma was very different than in Ohio because Ohio was a free state and Oklahoma wasn't a state until 1907. Finally we see how the geography played a role. The slightly elevated terrain let people spot slave catchers and the location on Doan Brook which emptied into Lake Erie was ideal for escaping.
Underground Railroad in Cleveland - Cozad Bates House
Underground Railroad in Cleveland - Cozad Bates House
Ohio had many stops on the Underground Railroad. Canada was an ultimate destination since they had abolished slavery in 1793. The short distance across Lake Erie from Cleveland to Canada made the city a popular destination. Cleveland was codenamed Hope on the Underground Railroad.
One of the historic places was at what is called the Cozad-Bates House at the corner of Mayfield and East 115th Street, between Euclid and Little Italy. The house has been restored by Restore Cleveland Hope. Their mission is "to celebrate Cleveland's historic anti-slavery past." The non-profit operates the Underground Railroad Interpretive Center in the Cozad-Bates House, the only surviving pre-Civil War building in University Circle.
Each Saturday from noon - 4PM they host free tours of the historic location. If you can't attend in person take a look at these pages of photos and videos from our recent visit.
"It just didn't seem right to DJ. A body found bludgeoned in a place known for "Peace through Mutual Understanding." But there she was, crumpled behind a bust of composer Franz Liszt in the Hungarian Cultural Garden. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "What is the nature of your emergency?" the dispatcher queried. With a suddenly very dry mouth DJ managed to get out, "There's been a murder in the Cultural Gardens."
That's the beginning of the recently published first novel by Dan Hanson.
The whodunit, titled Murder in the Cultural Gardens, takes place in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and all 30+ gardens are featured during the mystery. You may even recognize some of the characters.
Click the link above to learn more or to purchase in paperback or Kindle version from Amazon. Or contact Dan via the Murder in the Cultural Gardens webpage to have a signed book delivered.
Cleveland is a diverse city with about 120 distinct ethnic heritages represented. We at ClevelandPeople.com and the Cleveland International Hall of Fame believe that this ethnic diversity makes us a much richer city and that we should all celebrate this fact.
We asked people from various ethnic groups to create a tile representing their heritage. These 3 quilts are a product of that effort. We hope that other ethnic groups will want to add their own tile to these patchworks showcasing our ethnic diversity.
This DVD is a Living Rosary in the sense that over 200 people participated in saying a prayer. 3 bishops, numerous priests and sisters and a variety of lay people all said a prayer (Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary or Glory Be) that when put together combine to form the complete Rosary.
We hope that you will pray along with the diverse group of people on this DVD. They are young and old, different races and ethnicities, in Church and outside, alone and in groups. The prayers are said in English, but occasionally there is a prayer in another language. You may not know the language but will understand, and be able to pray along, because of the context.
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If you want your group's events listed in our Calendar, please send an e-mail to events@clevelandpeople.com with the details. Please allow at least 2 weeks lead time.
Do you need a Hungarian Flag? A shirt that says "I love Slovenian girls"? How about a sign that says No Parking except for Irish Grandmother?
These and hundreds of other items for your particular ethnic group are available for browsing at our on-line store. It's safe, fast, easy and fun. And there is a wide selection you will never find in the stores!
