Happy New Years Eve, everyone! We stocked up for the night at Joseph’s Beverage Center. It’s bonkers out there!
Josephs Beverage Center | 4129 Talmadge Rd | (419) 472-1421
ps. Don’t drink and drive! ABCO services is offering free towing and a ride home from midnight to 3 a.m. The number is 419-536-6123. Jot it down.
Visit our local animatronic utopia and cacotopia combined.
It’s all sorts of epic. Including wonderful antique diatribes.
And injection molded toy machines. Wow. Kids love it.
Children’s Wonderland | Lucas Co. Rec Center in Maumee | Runs through New Year’s Eve.
Friday night was the Second Annual ‘Tis the Secor Show at the Secor Building downtown. Highlights included an exhibit of works from 40+ local artists, open studios and live music.
One of my favorite pieces was front and center in the lobby—a portrait by Richard Reed of his friend Marty.
It’s beautifully done.
There was live music in the lobby including Toledo’s best experimental group, KDB.
After leaving the Secor show we met up with friends for drinks at Wesley’s in uptown. It’s a sure bet on Friday nights and features some of my favorite pro-Toledo decor, including the infamous “You Will Do Better in Toledo” sign, the original of which is sadly long gone.
We finished things up with a nightcap at The Attic on Adams—the new hotspot above Manos. Hope to see you there soon!
The Secor Building | 425 Jefferson St @ Superior | Downtown
KBD | myspace.com/kbdtoledo
Wesley’s | 1201 Adams Street | 419-255-3333
The Attic on Adams | 1701 Adams St. | 419-243-5350
My first visit to the Greek Festival in Toledo was on Saturday. The food was incredible!
I had mousaka, pastichio and a tiropita (cheese-filled philo). I was too busy stuffing myself with amazing food to notice what D. was eating. I think there was some chicken on his plate?
I left with a small box of pastries (think butter cookies and baklava) after we watched some darling children re-enact a greek monster myth.
Greek-American Festival | Downtown
On Saturday morning we drove down to Bowling Green for the Black Swamp Arts Festival. BG has one of the cutest Main Streets ever.
There were quite a few booths… most being more craft than art, but regardless there was plenty to see. One surprisingly cute booth had little animals and creatures formed of everyday rope.
We also spent some time checking out the shows at the electronic stage. Above is HMNLCD.
The Wookalar (from Wicked Lung and the Wookalar of Columbus) played. See above. Wicked Lung did a set too.
We made sure to catch the Secret Swords show before leaving the festival.
Cheers—and thanks for putting up with the poor video quality!
Black Swamp Arts Festival | Bowling Green, OH
Obama accepted the nomination last night. We ambled over to M. & K.’s house where the DNC was projected onto a huge screen outdoors. We watched the speeches in lawn chairs and on blankets and cheered and clapped. And, it was great.
I carry a bit of Bavarian blood in me and have visited Germany twice, BUT I’ve never been to a German-American festival. We’ve heard nothing but good things about the festival in Oregon and that raccoon mascot/logo is so damn nice… we grabbed our designated-driver/lawyer and drove over the river. The cornfield on both sides of the drive to the parking lot was a little ominous.
We ran into M. almost immediately, and of course, he was in lederhosen. He was also a few beers ahead of us so we got some tickets and started drinking. D. was able to finish the night off with a free glass mug by trying 7+ different beers. I tried to stick with old reliable Bitburger. Bitte ein Bit.
There was more to this festival than just beer. There was food, lots of it, pretzels and sausages and potato latkes/pancakes. There was quite a bit of dancing. And there was a parade!
But in the end, the real focus was on drinking bier. Except for our designated driver who had none. 
At one point, there were dancers on a giant cuckoo clock-styled stage. It was around this time that I started to realize the crowd was getting bigger.
Much bigger. And it was about this time that we decided it was time to go home.
But not without saying bye to the rollerderby girls. BYE!
German American Festival Society | Oak Shade Grove in Oregon, Ohio
I’m a big fan of slides and a bigger fan of big slides.
But I’m not such a fan of precarious heights… like those of a carnival ferris wheel. I was near tears on this one. Notice the pigeon toes vs. the confident placement of my toes in the former picture.
Yet there was plenty to see outside of rides, like the Chainsaw Massacre…
and a very large cow.
We missed the “Buffo—The Worlds Strongest Clown Show”. But really, does the world need a “strongest clown”?
I found the little piglets very amazing. I had no idea they played like puppies… and have a newfound respect for people who keep pigs as pets.
I talked myself into another scary (for me!) ride. D. had a lot of fun on this one.
It was a good time. This mild summer is getting high scores in my book.
Lucas County Fair | 1406 Key Street | Maumee
Amidst errands on Sunday, we popped over to the St. George Festival. There were pony rides, great middle eastern food, and a petting zoo with small white lions (I don’t believe the caretaker’s claims that they were pyrenees dogs. Lies!). Also, we caught a fantastic performance by the Toledo bellydancing phenomenon that is Leyla and the Lapis Lazuli Troupe. I have only two words: flaming sword.
Leyla Bellydance | www.leylabellydance.com
St. George Orthodox Cathedral | 3754 Woodley Rd.
Weather.com warned of scattered showers but we tossed caution in the wind and drove to Maumee Bay State Park for the Lighthouse Festival. Greeting us was a ghastly sight…
Sharks or no sharks, we weren’t about to give up our quest to see the lighthouse. We bought tickets for the boat ride and walked over to the docks.
It was a bit overcast, which was fine with me. I wasn’t wearing sunscreen. The lighthouse was about 6 miles out.
How great is this lighthouse? I want to move in.
I mean, really. How can we make this happen?
After circling the lighthouse a few times it was over. Bye bye, lighthouse!
We figured Friday would be as good a day as any to visit the Polish Festival on Lagrange Street.
If I understand this correctly, when we arrived there was a Polka band that played Pink Floyd covers entertaining the crowd. The scene was a little confusing. I am also pretty certain I saw a grown man riding a cooler… a beer cooler… that had wheels and an engine… grown man riding it…
There was also a gentleman on stilts making balloon sculptures for kids, who later juggled knives, and later on was tossing a large yo-yo about between two sticks, and later still was playing with sticks on fire. He had amassed a pretty large crowd by the end of the day.
The people watching was pretty epic. So was the kielbasa on a rye roll (!!!) that D. picked up from The Stanley’s Market tent.
The Polish Festival of Toledo | LaGrange Street | Fri. 5-11pm; Sat. 12-11pm; Sun. 1-7pm
A favorite facet of the gem that is Toledo: the river cutting through the middle of Downtown. It’s really fantastic and a feature not many cities can claim. Now take the river and add fireworks, 4th of July fireworks even…
We rode our bicycles down, which was a blessing considering the crowded streets and mass exodus at the end of the night. There was a nice spot under a tree towards the south end of the park so we tossed down a blanket and setttled in.
The fireworks show did not dissapoint. I really loved the glittery sparkle ones that fall down like a big glowing shower.
The finale was bonkers… when’s the last time you saw a lense flare in the middle of the night?
4th of July Fireworks | Promenade Park | Downtown
Last night we did the Art Walk, or rather Art “Bike” because we rode our bicycles. It was totally walkable though. 4 galleries and over 20 artist studios open in the Downtown Arts Zone. We started at The Secor Gallery, which is showing the Toledo/Detroit installation. A couple stops down was the 20 North Gallery with a group show that included Adam Russell’s wonderful portraits of Arts Commission Director, Marc Folk and local artist, Wade Harrison.
A visit to The Olive Street Studios was particularly great because that’s where Richard Reed’s studio is. He showed us some new works in progress, including a really nice nude that’s missing a hand at the moment.
Look at how shiney the floors are at Sur Saint Clair Gallery. They were showing some awesome drawings of familar Toledo architecture.
The Messenger Schmidt Gallery and Katina Zilcomo’s studio were our last stops and where we ran into Michael Moriarty who talked to us about the row of buildings he rennovated on Morris Street. It’s pretty cool down there…
The Art Walk will be happening every third Thursday and is organized by The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo.
So it rained a little on Sunday… but we still had a great time. The highlight for me would have to be The Jean Batiste Quartet doing their version of What a Wonderful World. Yeah, call me sappy.
There is a great installation at the Secor Gallery right now (through July 12th). The Secor Gallery artists paired up with artists from the Detroit Industrial Projects to create several works within the vast space.
The show invokes “the connectivity between development and re-urbanism occurring in both Detroit and Toledo”… and presents work by Kevin Beasley, Elizabeth Bernblum, Jada Bowden, Robert Garcia, Doug Kampfer, Nate Masternack, Jody Russ, Salvatore Schiciano, Jeanette Strezinski, and Andrew Thompson.
The opening was Saturday night with The Drawers playing in the lobby. David Lynch’s Eraserhead was playing on a backdrop behind them, which I hadn’t seen since I was in high school.
There happened to be a Mud Hens game going on so a few of us stepped around the corner to watch the fireworks at the end of the game. The night was capped off with an after-party at Mickey Finns. It was packed with people, many I hadn’t seen in quite a while, and bands playing both inside and on the back patio.
Secor Building and Artist Studios | 425 Jefferson Ave. | (419) 450 3683
We stayed in the OWE all weekend this year because really, there was no reason to leave. Fun, friends, and food. BBQs were everywhere, including M & K’s with full-sized sofas and a “kiddie” pool. The weather this year was a lot nicer than last with only a little bit of rain at the end of the day on Sunday… you know… just to cool things off.
I didn’t buy anything at the yard sales, but there were some pretty great antiques to see. The parade was fun too. My favorite part was the Toledo School for the Arts oversized marionettes (see pic above). I hope they make more for next year.
One last thing, golf carts are super fun.
File under flashbacks: A year ago, on May 24th, we attended the I-280 Bridge Gala/Benefit which was totally awesome. The gala was held on a riverboat that travelled up and down the Maumee, under the new bridge and featured some pretty great fireworks—video from 13ABC here.
I remember my husband talking about the bridge as it was being built and before I moved to Toledo. I thought it was kind of silly that he was so excited about a bridge, until that day.
One of the coolest moments was realizing the construction workers were still on the bridge as we floated under it. There was a lot of waving and cheering back and forth… definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime events. I’ll never forget it. I wish everyone in Toledo was on that boat at that instant.
This weekend was one of my favorites in Toledo, ever.
The weather was beautiful (unlike today) and there was so much to do/see. Highlights included a 50th birthday party, brunch at Manhattan’s, the Erie Street Market flower sale/farmers market, an afternoon at The Toledo Botanical Gardens (almost magical), and another Old West End BBQ. You know how time seems to fly by when you are having fun? For some reason this weekend crept by slowly and I really got to enjoy it.
Photo taken Sunday at the Toledo Botanical Gardens/Crosby Gardens.
Toledo Botanical Gardens | 5403 Elmer Dr | (419) 936-2986
Erie Street Market | 237 S Erie St | (419) 936-3743
Manhattan’s | 1516 Adams St | (419) 243-6675
One of the first events I attended after moving to Toledo was the Meet & Greet 2. I had no choice; my husband helped organize it. He later told me that he might feel guilty in some way if I didn’t enjoy Toledo and that prompted him to get more involved in the arts community. Sweet, right?
It’s been many Meet & Greets later and I’ve meet some really great people at these events. They happen about twice a year, with a main hub location and several area galleries connected by a bus loop. It’s presented by the Arts Commission and staffed by volunteers. Of course it’s free… and so are the drinks (at least at the main hub). Meet & Greet 7 was in the Davis Building last Friday and it was just as fun as any of the previous M&Gs with live music and a bunch of new faces.
Pictured above are Michael Moriarty (L), owner of the Davis Building and Marc Folk (R), Executive Director of the Arts Commission.
Bookmark CallingAllCreatives.com and look out for the next event.