Ooh la la! FreshWater photographer and former editor publish book on art of burlesque
A new book by Bob Perkoski and Erin O'Brien documents the colorful history of Cleveland’s burlesque scene, from the 1800s to modern day.
I Live Here (now): Jason Thompson and Scott O’Con
Some might call it divine intervention that brought Jason Thompson and Scott O’Con to Cleveland. They came to the city from northern Virginia in 2017 when Thompson joined West Park United Church of Christ as senior pastor—his first pastoral role—and the couple have never looked back.  
With Fiesta of Hope scholarships in pocket, Clark-Fulton students look forward to brighter futures
Samuel Paredes was 16 years old when he secretly applied for a U.S. visa. His parents had just gotten divorced, and he was still living in Ipiales, a city of 160,000 on the southern border of Colombia. Shortly after the death of his grandmother, he expressed to his mother and father his desire to study cybersecurity—born from witnessing political upheaval—at an American college.
Hey, parents: A safety-minded rideshare app for transporting kids is coming to Cleveland
Undoubtedly every parent has wished for it: a safe, reliable Uber-like solution for transporting kids from point A to point B. South Euclid resident Charisma Curry is launching Parents in Motion to make that wish a reality.
Startup Scaleup is set to take over the Flats tomorrow with 1,500+ Northeast Ohio entrepreneurs
The Cuyahoga River will be alive this week with a bevy of #Cuyahoga50 celebrations, but that’s not the only thing rolling on the river. Tomorrow JumpStart will host its fifth annual Startup Scaleup event in the Flats East Bank—with more than 150 speakers and 1,500 entrepreneurs attending from all over Northeast Ohio.
Free Stamp: All things free in the #CLE, Cuyahoga50 edition
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland. Check out our special Cuyahoga50 edition here!
Let the fiesta begin! La Placita mixes food and fun to kick off festival season in La Villa Hispana
When work began on the five-year action plan for La Villa Hispana in 2015, there was a lot of energy and electricity behind the scenes around transforming the neighborhood into a vibrant “intersection of culture and commerce,” but within the residential community, it barely made a ripple.
How NLDP is helping community leaders harness their superpowers for powerful change in CLE
You likely know the unelected, unsung leaders in your community. They’re the ones volunteering at local events, spreading the word in online neighborhood groups, leading grassroots initiatives, and giving voice to residents who might not otherwise have one. But what you—and they—might not know is that there’s a free program dedicated to helping them harness their superpowers and make even more of an impact.
An exam away from certification, Hispanic nurses rise above language barriers to reclaim careers
The women come from a variety of backgrounds. Some work in factories or grocery chains, others as school lunch ladies, making $8 to $9 an hour. Others are Hurricane Maria refugees who work for Burlington, some for U.S. Cotton, supporting families as they tilt on the poverty line.

All have one thing in common: the dream to one day be registered nurses.
Vibrant City Awards recap: Meet the changemakers shaping Cleveland for the better
Right next to the newly christened Euclid Beach Pier, more than 550 community leaders gathered lakeside for the fifth annual Vibrant City Awards—presented by Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) and Delta Dental and highlighting the best in local urban revitalization efforts.
Think pink: Ohio City's new Oh Pink! shop is ready to get the party started
These days, every day is a party for Catherine Blubaugh. After all, the owner of the new Oh Pink! Party Shop lives and breathes party supplies while she puts the final touches on her Ohio City storefront to gear up for its June 15th grand opening. But make no mistake—this is not your average strip-mall party shop.
Free Stamp: All things free in the #CLE for June 2019
Fresh Water's monthly "Free Stamp" feature rounds up the freshest free events in Cleveland. Check out the June lineup here!
The next step in making CLE a bike-friendly city is getting our seniors on two wheels
They say one never forgets how to ride a bike—and if the freewheeling folks taking part in Silver Spokes are any indication, it’s 100 percent true. 
At a newly-madeover Miss Latina Image, a cultural celebration of womanhood takes the runway
It’s 20 minutes before showtime, in a small banquet room at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center, and Yasin Cuevas is glowingly ecstatic. For one, her first-ever Miss Latina Image fashion show—expanded from “Miss Puerto Rican Image” of years past—has attracted a packed house, more than any other program in the past few years. It’s also a signal of much more: a newer, more diverse Clark-Fulton community, one more gung-ho on the self-education of its youth, as La Villa Hispana grows gradually into the fore.
Pier with a view: The new Euclid Beach Pier marries memories of yesteryear with modern appeal
Though the 20th-century heyday of Euclid Beach Park is long gone, vibrant remnants remain—from the carousel at the Cleveland History Center to the rocket cars roaming around Cleveland to the newly opened Humphrey’s Popcorn on E. 185th Street. Today, another ode to Euclid Beach joins their ranks with the official ribbon-cutting of the Euclid Beach Pier.
Graffiti HeArt's new gallery takes street art indoors
You’ve probably seen the mark of Graffiti HeArt all around Cleveland, whether you realized it or not. The nonprofit coordinates graffiti-style murals in the city’s private and public spaces, like the vibrant piece on the Stockyard Meats building in Detroit Shoreway and the “Welcome to Cleveland” painting that greets visitors to Ohio City. But with the opening of the Graffiti HeArt Gallery on May 31, the organization will welcome guests and artists to a permanent homebase.
The progressive dinner party that turned into a calling card for Tremont
If the neighborhood of Tremont were a person, it would make one heck of a dinner party host. One month from today, the area will once again host its annual Tremont Trek on Saturday, June 15. Now 18 years running, the event features an exclusive whirlwind tour of six private homes, along with tastings provided by local restaurants at each stop.
Greater Cleveland Film Commission wants to ensure Ohio's film incentive doesn't have its last act
Proposed cuts in the Ohio House budget means the curtain might fall on Cleveland’s thriving film scene. The Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, which gives filmmakers an incentive to bring movie production to Ohio, is on the chopping block to make space in the budget for income tax cuts. But Senate Bill 37 is also in the works, with a goal of raising the tax credit from $40 million to $100 million to pave the way for more growth in the local film industry. It’s a pivotal moment that has the Greater Cleveland Film Commission on edge.
A special yoga event will give motherless Clevelanders the gift of remembrance on Mother's Day
In many homes, Mother's Day means smiling children, fresh flowers, and homemade breakfast-in-bed. But for families facing loss, their mom might be a lifetime away. Yoga to Remember offers a remembrance event on Thursday, May 9, at St. John’s Episcopal Church to honor the memory of mothers—or any loved one—who is missed.
 
GoRock.com fuels the painted rock craze by tracking rocks on their journeys
Yet another reason Cleveland "rocks:" Clevelander Michele Gehrmann has created GoRock.com, a free website for people to track painted rocks in public.