Ask Denny Young about the biggest music festivals in Ohio, and he’ll make a case for these three: “Bunbury in Cincinnati, Rock on the Range in Columbus, and LaureLive in Cleveland.” He might be biased about that last one—he did help found it, after all. But there’s no denying the numbers: LaureLive has already hosted over 100 bands from around the world and drawn thousands of attendees. And the festival, which takes place this weekend, is only entering its third year.

Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.

When Faith & Whiskey got involved with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's Jam for Justice six years ago, drummer and singer Rich Wesorick admits they mainly viewed it as a great opportunity to play the House of Blues. But for Wesorick and many others, the event has become so much more. Showcasing musical acts comprised of local lawyers and judges, the annual benefit helps provide legal services to low-income or vulnerable Northeast Ohio residents.

The new book LGBTQ Cleveland showcases over 150 photos depicting five decades of Cleveland's LGBTQ history (including some by FreshWater's own Bob Perkoski). But along with a vibrant collection of images, local voices and stories shine through—thanks to author Ken Schneck's dogged efforts to bring them to light.

In Susan Joyner’s painting “Darkest Before Dawn,” a city skyline looms, dark and ominous against a gloomy witching-hour sky. Electrical lines criss-cross against the outline of grey clouds. But beyond the darkened buildings and the vast night sky, there’s a glimpse of sunrise: a sliver of hope. Change is imminent.

The painting is one of many artworks on display at the Cleveland Justice Center throughout May as part of a special exhibit that seeks to dispel myths about mental health conditions in Cuyahoga County and beyond.

The Make Your Mark on Moreland project will utilize public art to not only enhance the neighborhood, but also to honor the people and events that have shaped Shaker Heights' Moreland neighborhood. Artists Scott Goss and Charlotte Lees have been chosen to bring their proposals for gateways and historical markers to life. Find out more about the progress of this vibrant initiative here.

Festival season kicked off last weekend with a rousing "Konnichiwa!" Check out our photos of the best of the 2018 Cleveland Asian Festival.

Almost 50,000 people are expected at the annual Cleveland Asian Festival this weekend—offering great exposure to growing small businesses that operate a booth during the two-day celebration of everything AsiaTown has to offer. 

At 10 a.m. on a Thursday, a group of veterans has gathered in the TV room at the VA Domiciliary in Glenville. These veterans grew up in different cities in varying socio-economic settings. They served in different wars and suffer from different challenges: addiction, depression, homelessness, loneliness, PTSD. Today, they have one thing in common: “The Smiling People” by Ray Bradbury.

About eight minutes into Innerself, our hero is singing down the familiar streets of St. Clair-Superior when a fight breaks out. It’s the first time in the film that the audience hears the whooshing thwack effect of a kung-fu fight scene. It's a welcome sound that confirms the film’s promotional premise: we are indeed watching a “martial arts musical comedy"—and one shot in Cleveland, to boot.

Lakewood is a little more colorful after the unveiling of a new public art piece by local artist Derek Brennan last Tuesday, May 1, at the corner of Warren Road and Detroit Avenue. Brennan’s mural, “Imagination on the Lake,” spans approximately 13-feet by 9-feet over two inset panels of the brick building that houses Area Temps. “

Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland.

This Tuesday, April 17, LAND studio will kick off Inner City Hues, a public art project in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods designed to unite the community and bring some vibrancy into forgotten parts of the city. The project will pair four established artists with "blank canvases" on existing surfaces, buildings, vacant walls, and abandoned properties—with the goal of enlivening the neighborhood’s commercial district.

Cleveland rocks, and rarely moreso than it did this weekend at the 33rd annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions. A sold-out crowd of 6,000 people gathered at Public Auditorium to fete 2018 honorees Bon Jovi, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nina Simone, Moody Blues, Dire Straits, and The Cars, and the show didn't disappoint. Get a sneak peek of the night's highlights from our perch in the press room as we round up the best backstage moments.

From April 4-15, Tower City is set to yet again become a center for celluloid as host to the 42nd annual Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF)—considered to be the world's largest film festival to take place mostly under one roof. This year's installment will showcase close to 500 feature films and shorts from 72 countries, and true to form, Cleveland is well-represented among those ranks.

For some, sixteen candles is the magic birthday number. For the Cleveland Flea, it’s six. The popular shopping event and small business incubator turns six this April—marking the occasion with a new custom-built co-working space, an online creative business school, and an on-site workshop that will soon include retail components.

From Brownie cameras to vintage typewriters, it’s a veritable treasure trove of unique finds and period pieces at the Cleveland Prop Shop—a 1,200-square-foot warehouse space located near I-90 in Euclid. Local prop master Monica Plunkett opened the appointment-only shop last fall to accommodate the city’s theatre scene and what she calls a “growing film presence in Cleveland.”