Cleveland Vintage Blog — Culture

My day job takes me by the Home Depot on Wilson Mills Rd. in Highland Heights at least twice a week. Pretty much every time the same thought pops into my head: How many people that drive by here as often as me or even frequent the Home Depot realize that on this very site once stood a truly magnificent 3,200 seat entertainment venue, the Front Row Theater. Opened by none other than Mr. Sammy Davis Jr. on July 5, 1974, the Front Row was a magical place to see a show. The seating was circular, but there were no...

With it being the most wonderful time of the year, let's take a look at the best Cleveland Christmas beers of all time. The results were a little surprising in that we found that any possible research into what would be classified as a Cleveland-specific Christmas craft beer could only go back to 1988, as that is when Great Lakes Brewery was established and is recognized as the oldest craft brewery in Ohio. Now, nearly 40 years of Christmas beer history is still a pretty good body of work on local Christmas beers, so before we get into what we might...

"The Land" has more or less taken over as Cleveland's dominant nickname these days (just take a look at how much the Cleveland Cavaliers love using it), but a personal favorite is one we just don't see enough - the Forest City. Where Did the Forest City Nickname Come From? This is considered one of the oldest nicknames in the city's history, if not the oldest. It was introduced in the early 19th century, not long after Cleveland became a city in 1796. As you can imagine, the genesis of the nickname itself comes from the densely forested Northeast Ohio...

Would you believe Godzilla nearly destroyed Cleveland, Ohio? Back in the 1980s, a movie was in development called It Ate Cleveland, which essentially would have been a spoof of Japanese kaiju films, featuring a Godzilla-like fire-breathing monster that rose from the depths of Lake Erie to attack Northeast Ohio. That being said, the movie's Godzilla-like monster resembled Godzilla just a bit too much for Toho's liking, as the Japanese studio threatened a lawsuit when the project was originally named the very suable Godzilla vs. Cleveland. Though the movie wasn't initially canceled - just put on hold for a few years...

Clevelanders who were lucky enough to be around for Dick Goddard are likely well aware of what a woolly bear is. But let's take a look at the furry little creature that was beloved by the also-beloved Cleveland meteorologist. What's a Woolly Bear - or Woolly Worm? You've likely seen these fuzzy little black-and-brown caterpillars before. They are the larva of the Isabella tiger moth and can be found just about anywhere. Though the woolly bear is a pretty cute-looking insect, the most notable thing about this caterpillar is its supposed ability to predict winter weather. Can the Woolly Bear...