Cleveland Vintage Blog — Culture

Did you know that fifteen states (and Washington D.C.) have an official dinosaur? And did you know that I was ENRAGED to find out that Ohio doesn't have one? Well, at least until I saw the typical criteria for nominating a state dinosaur.  As it goes, the typical process is that a state's official dinosaur is tied to a major discovery that takes place within the state. For instance, the Triceratops horridus was originally found in Wyoming, and therefore it became the state's official dinosaur in 1994. All that being said... who cares? Ohio should just have a state dinosaur...

For decades — thanks in large part to Ernie Anderson's beloved late-night Ghoulardi character — Parma was the butt of jokes. During his "Parma Place" skits, Ghoulardi and Chuck Schodowski would play stereotypical ethnic Parma residents in a parody of the then-popular prime-time soap opera Peyton Place, mocking pink flamingos, white socks, polka music, and chrome ball lawn ornaments, staples of the fast-growing, middle-class suburb. The pink flamingos really stuck, becoming a ubiquitous symbol of the Parma community, much to the dismay of city officials. The lighthearted jabs might have stuck, but in recent years, Parma has really leaned into the...

The Musicarnival is one of the many long-gone Cleveland rock institutions, a summer tent theater that operated on the grounds of Thistledown Race Track from 1954 to 1975. All types of major rock acts would make their way through the Musicarnival, including Led Zeppelin on one particularly big night for the world. Now, if you're a fan of rock and roll history or Cleveland music history in general I would highly recommend Smoky, Sweaty, Rowdy and Loud: Tales of Cleveland's Legendary Rock & Roll Landmarks by Mike and Janice Olszewski. It's a fantastic, in-depth history of Cleveland's rock and roll scene...

Nestled away on a Mount Washington sidewalk in Pittsburgh at the top of the Monongahela Incline, in front of the Engine 27 firehouse at the corner of Virginia and Shiloh, a true 90s relic thrives. It's the infamous Phantom Menace vending machine.  You might remember the massive Pepsi tie-in with 1999's Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. With 24 different character cans, a wide variety of promotional items, and commercials featuring the Marfalump character, Pepsi's presence in the build up to The Phantom Menace was inescapable (along with the billions of other product tie-ins).  This, of course, also...

Like any region in the United States, the people of the Midwest have their own language, a subset of slang and sayings that tell anybody, "Oh yeah, this person's definitely from the Midwest." Here is a look at 50+ of those phrases and sayings you might find while traversing around the Midwest. Getting a Midwesterner Excited If you rile up a Midwesterner one way or another, you're liable to hear one of these phrases: Ope! Uff da! For cryin' out loud Cheese and rice / Cheese and mice Oh, for cute! / Oh for fun!  Heavens to Betsy! / Jeez...