Every Bar in Lakewood says vote NO on ISSUE 7 Sin Tax May 6 2014

@noclesintax

We are currently being bombarded by advertisements about one of the issues up for vote this coming week. It's endorsed by a small army of political leaders and local athletes. Its selling points are that it's not a tax increase but a renewal, and that if it's not passed we won't be able to keep up on our responsibilities. The question that should be raised is why is this effort being put into a tax renewal that theoretically is no big deal. Also, why is Issue 7 up during the primary elections now, which normally has a lower turnout, when the current tax doesn't run out till the middle of 2015? The answer is so that we don't question it or have time to even talk about it.


What is the purpose of this tax? It was created to build a downtown home for the Cavaliers. When the tax was renewed, the purpose was building a new home for the new Browns. This time, there are no new stadiums or arenas needed, but it seems they have fallen into such disrepair that we require a stadium's worth of money just to fix them. What the actual repairs are remains vague. Our money will, however, go into putting up a new electronic billboard at the Brown's stadium to allow the team, not the city, to raise more money through advertising.


Where should the money for these renovations come from if not from the general public? By raising the price of stadium event tickets around $3, the cost of repairing and adding quality marketing improvements would be taken care of. Instead, those behind Keep Cleveland Strong say that our small businesses should pick up the bill. All the bars in Lakewood must absorb these costs while they already have to survive under tight margins in a competitive environment.  They tell us that this is building our service economy while relying on its back to hold it up.  Is it really keeping our city strong to put its financial troubles on the backs of its small businesses instead of on its large multimillion dollar sports businesses.


They say that its our responsibility to take care of these teams. Teams that make millions in profits without the requirement of paying taxes back. They say that this is our responsibility as the landlords of these facilities. The Indians haven't paid rent since 2008 and the Browns only pay 1% of what the 49ers pay. They say this isn't a tax increase but the previous two sin taxes were for building stadiums. This tax is the same amount but for a different purpose. This isn't even the only money we are spending on our teams'.playing fields. We are also paying extra taxes on parking, event admissions (even small locals like the Winchester and Mahall's), and car rentals to pay for our stadium debts (we still owe $162 million). Since the original sin tax we, the tax payers, have spent $947 million to house “our” teams.


Instead of forcing an issue down our throats, shouldn't we be having discussions on how to best deal with our city's sport team debts. Shouldn't our teams be showing that they are willing to earn their place. How does taking the money out of small businesses' pockets to take care of millionaires, already being given big financial breaks, help keep our city strong? The stadium and arena's revenues should be priced appropriately to pay for its costs. It's time our sports teams pay their bills, so that we can too.

www.noclevelandsintax.com

Bar #55 Sidetrack Cafe Prologue

Due to everyone's lives becoming too busy and an avoidance to do the blog on the weekends I have only been puttering towards the final goal of having a beer at every bar in Lakewood and writing about it. Today, I write about a yesterday. It's fall 2005. I have a new 2006 Prius (that why I remember the year) and I am going with some friends to a bar I've never been to.  My memory may not be as accurate as I hope after almost a decade.  Bar #55 will be Sidetrack Cafe, but this is just its prologue to the official visit.


Sidetrack Cafe is known as a biker bar. Not in the flashy, neon fashion of the franchised versions out there or the biker bars seen on the Blah Blah Channel. Sidetrack Cafe is a place where people would sit down hot, stinking and tired after riding the backroads of America. They don't need a dozen specialized beers with spices, fancy names, and fancier price tags; if it was cold and beer, it was probably what they were looking for. A proper biker bar offers only what is needed to get the job done: beer, whiskey, seats and something that produces music. A real biker bar makes every other bar feel like a gimmick.


Sidetrack Cafe was split into three sections. The first section was your standard dive bar. Almost all the seating was along the bar itself and primarily warmed by men that have been riding motorcycles for most of the last half century. Classic rock was coming out of the jukebox and wouldn't stop for the rest of the evening. The bar was run by a pretty woman that had no problem keeping control her bar with just a smile and the ability to see problem coming.


The second room had some tables and chairs and centered on a large screen TV that remembered who shot JR. It had that slight lack in color that is seen in the old giant TVs that have been used a couple years too many. It may be too large to give up on, or might simply be too large to bother moving. My brain tells me everything in the room was a shade of brown.


The third room had plywood walls. There was a pool table taking up the majority of the space. That is everything in the room. The plywood didn't insulate as much as hoped, but we spent the evening in the room hoping the slight bit of shivering would work in our favor or that we'd stop feeling the cold after the next beer. At least we didn't have to worry about our beer getting warm.


Sidetrack Cafe gave me everything I wanted, beer, somewhere to sit and something to do. With all the amazing bars in Lakewood, it's easy to forget what really matters. Going to almost every bar in Lakewood has helped instill in me that it's not always about all the things a bar may offer, but all the things that I want from a bar on a specific evening. One evening I may want amazing food, and beer that tastes like a work of art. Another evening I may way want a dart board, cold ignorable beer and patrons that feel like we've known each other half our lives, even if we've just met. Living in Lakewood means getting exactly what you want, just remember that there's a chance you could find it in any Every Bar in Lakewood.


Sidetrack Cafe, Bar #55, may be completely different than it was 8 years ago. I look forward to seeing it again soon.

13429 Lakewood Heights Blvd
216-688-1498
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Bar #53 The Avenue Tap House

I've been to more bars in Lakewood than there are weeks in the year. The majority have been good for one reason or another. This blog isn't about that. We now begin the bars that I chose not to go to 52 times. Each one for a reason. This week, I go to a bar who's known for cheap booze, cheap women, and the worst wings I've ever had. Every bar deserves a chance to prove itself and tonight was bar #53, The Avenue Tap House's chance to show that I've waited too long.

This Tuesday evening I showed up to a mostly empty Avenue. The bar was half full; the large room behind it was empty. I was meeting my friend Jon tonight. Disappointment came quickly. First Jon wasn't there, then I was told they don't have food till 9 (it was 7). So, I ordered a beer (½ off) and waited. My disappointments took a turn for the better a half hour later, when both Jon and the cook showed up.

The Avenue Tap House has a bar on their left and right side sandwiching tables and stools in between. There's a raised seating area on the far left side with VIP style seating. A DJ station is set up above the primary bar on the left side. The back wall is basically just a wall with a big curtain over the entrance to where the bowling alley used to be. The bowling alley materials were sold to Mahall's a year or two ago.

My beer of the night was New Castle. It tastes like beer. That's basically it with this one. They eliminated the cheap qualities that plague beers like PBR and Budweiser and then stopped. Their beer options included a couple local craft beers, but mainly consisted of the normal domestics.

If you are coming to the Avenue for food check the schedule first. The cook comes in late for karaoke on Tuesdays and may not even be there on other days. If their kitchen isn't open, then you can order food to be brought over from The Kenilworth Tavern next door. We were able to get our food by 8. We went with the Taco Tuesday option but it lacked a vegetarian choice. The kitchen made this an option for Jonn anyway. The tacos were surprisingly good. Jon ranked them in his top three favorites in the greater Cleveland area. They are definitely worth checking out, the chicken more so than the beef. Avenue Tap House has jalapenos poppers (cheese version.) They taste like everyone's.

The story I was able to get on the two previous food providers to the Avenue is that both businesses didn't have enough variety to be successful in a bar that serves some food, as opposed to a restaurant with a bar. Basically, you need a variety of different (bar) foods to get people to impulse buy. The Avenue isn't a location to come for a specific food, except on Tuesdays. Beyond that, the wings I got from Guys Pizza at the wing crawl two years ago were so bad, we couldn't tell if they were undercooked or horribly frost burnt. I had liked their pizza. So, I don't miss them. I was also told by people that the following business, The Red Rooster, whose chicken I used to buy back when they were located by my dog daycare, was too expensive. I thought the chicken was good previous to moving to the Avenue. It looks like the newest option is the best one.


The music of the night was famous rock songs of the 70s and 80s. I assume this was to get everyone ready for karaoke. This brought up the conversation of, are these songs actually good, or are they only good because of the memories attached to them. Do I like Hotel California, which some people may argue is dreadful, because it's great or because my parents thought it was great and it was ingrained into me? Is The Eye of the Tiger amazing or does it feel that way in my head because I ran listening to it in cross country in high school and saw a montage in a movie containing it? The song, I'll Be Watching You, sticks out in many people's heads as a love ballad, especially after hearing it at so many weddings to the setting of people in new love. Is a song about Sting going mildly insane and stalking his Ex-wife a love song because our experiences dictate it? This effect of the events of our lives defining our perceived quality of music becomes apparent when we think to our favorite type of music and the bands that really stick out. Theses tend to be the music from our teenage years, which is always better than the music of today. The alternative rock of the 90s sticks out to me but perhaps it's only because that's what I left my childhood listening to. Our teenage genre of music becomes ingrained in our foundations of who we are as a person. Wonderwall probably does suck but it carries a lot of good memories with it, so it's good to me. Luckily, during karaoke, you can fake the effect of the songs sounding good with proper amounts of alcohol.

The service was good from both my bartenders Nicky and Mark.. They were friendly and put in the extra work to make sure that we were happy. Nicky tried to get us to stay for karaoke but wouldn't stay herself. She only sings if she's if she's drunk or if it's early and just her friends are around and she's singing Rainbow Connection. They were both open to chatting with us and not being just glorified drink pourers.

The Avenue Tap House's primary goal is to get people drinking. They offer good service at great prices. There are different activities and deals going on throughout the week. I have talked to people that leave the bar they are eating at to go drink for a bit at the Avenue to save money. Food is not their priority and isn't available as often one might like. However, if it is available, then I suggest you give it a try. Since. this is their third food provider, I'm glad I left it till Bar #53 skipping the first two. The Avenue Tap House was worth the wait.

18206 Detroit Ave.

216-228-1442t

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50th Anniversary Party for Doctor Who "Day of the Doctor"

November 23, 2013, 2:50 pm. To many people that date means nothing. For 225 people at a bowling alley and many millions more around the globe this was the date the that the longest continuously running TV show would celebrate it's 50^th anniversary on.  This was the "Day of the Doctor".  Doctor Who you may ask, but the answer overly concisely is he is a time traveling alien traveling time and space in a blue box with his companion(s) adventuring and making things better armed with a sonic screwdriver and is amazing.  The BBC broke a second world record on this day, simultaneously showing this show/movie in 94 countries in 6 continents; including being shown in 3D in select theaters. A month before the big day I looked around online to see who was hosting the big Doctor Who party in Cleveland. I only found one choice I'd be happy with, me. The search was on for a location.

When the call came for a place for the Whovians of Cleveland and Lakewood to flock to on their celebration, one of the biggest bars in town rose to the challenge. Mahall's 20 Lanes gave us use of their 150 seat concert room.  As the event expanded we were able to show the movie in the bar as well. Mahall's newest chef, Andy Dubyoski, created an original menu for the event. The menu was both creative and incorporated the higher quality ingredients, which Mahall's is known for. We even had multiple types of pop corn and candy available in the room with us during the show.  Andy was one of many Whovians we found that had been looking for an event like this one and was excited to be a part.

Kelly Flamos, one of the owners of the bar does not watch the show but quickly got caught up in the excitement of the event. She made sure that Every Bar in Lakewood would be able to both afford to host it and worked around the changes that were made as the celebration expanded.  Mahall's adapted their audio-visual systems to create a quality experience through their projection system. They were also able to handle our large event while hosting two bowling parties at the same time. This party would have been impossible without all the work Mahall's staff put into making everything work on a tight schedule. A schedule that was made tighter with the BBC witholding the official time of the episode until two weeks beforehand.

It takes a village to raise a child and it turns out it took just as many people to make an extraterrestrial time traveler's anniversary party a success. After Kelly Griffith of Rock Paper Cut created our amazing flyers and other visual elements; we went in search of other businesses that would help us. Most of the business owners were not only enthusiastic about donating, but they wanted to attend it and in some cases even set up their own tables.

One of the biggest promoters of this event was GeekCle, www.geekcle.com. They jumped whole heartedly into supporting the 50^th Anniversary party anyway they could. Our celebration was listed on their websites calendar and was talked about at their events. They embraced the task of running a trivia contest before the episode began, complete with prizes and a trophy.  Keep an eye on GeekCle.  They enthusiastically promote all things Geek; giving people new places they can play vintage arcade games, geeky trivia, table top games and even try their hands at cool crafts. They also write articles on a regular basis. You can check out a great article about them in the Plain Dealer here.

They're on the right.

Hashtag Nerd, hashtagnerd.com, was one of sponsors for the event. This is a great website and blog that talks about nerd life. They range from media and technology to games and nerd's lifestyles. They also sold cool prints as one of our vendors.

Andrea Sokol also sponsored the event and manned a kissing booth. Sorry guys, she only offered Hersey's kisses.

Spooky Grrrl Bath and Body both donated Doctor Who themed soap and manned a table selling her soaps and other bath supplies. Bella Sin's Spooky Grrl creates soaps that are a mixture of spooky and cute trying to make something for everyone. My wife even took home a pink R2D2 soap. Bella, who is also the producer at Ohio Burlesque, was one of celebrity judges for our costume contest as well.

Fears' Confections creates gourmet brownies and candies, including chocolate Daleks that were donated for our raffle. She was super enthusiastic about becoming one of our vendors and enriched the event.

Breakneck Gallery is one of Lakewood's many art galleries but stands out as a leader in alternative and nerdy art. Along with a lot of great works of art, you can also purchase t-shirts, jewelry, toys, books and prints from their gallery. The Breakneck puts on interesting shows on a regular basis that can range from a fundraiser for the local animal rescue to an art show that requires you sport 3D glasses! They donated one of our most popular gift baskets and were selling awesome prints at the vendor tables.

Carol and John's Comic Book Shop donated two of our raffle prizes. They are one of the top comic book shops in the Greater Cleveland area. Their staff is knowledgable, friendly and helpful whether you're in the store or just trying to update your subscriptions via email. They are the place that helped me get back into buying comic books again and always guide me in the directions that I want to go. All of this isn't why they are one of the best. Carol and John's strives to creates community. They want a place comic book lovers and newbies can hang out together to talk and explore. It's a place where you can meet your friends and make new ones. They put on events throughout the year and get to know their customers. Carol and John's were also a driving force behind the previous week's 50^th Anniversary party by the Doctor Who Society of Cleveland. Carol and John's is a place you want to go and it's a bonus that you can buy comics there as well.

Star Pop Vintage and Modern was excited when we contacted them about this event. He not only donated a cool prize set but contacted Keven's Customs to donate a custom made, one of a kind, David Tennant action figure as well. What is Star Pop? Imagine if everyone at this event picked the coolest toys, clothing, classic video games, music, movies, books, art, & other pop culture collectibles out of their attic and put them in one place. That's what Star Pop buys and sells.

Big Fun also donated some cool glasses and toy Dalek toys for our event. They gave me a lot of help putting flyers in their stores where they would get the most traffic. “Big Fun is a veritable cornucopia of delights, a cathedral of counter-culture, a warehouse of nerdabilia and nostalgia.” This is how they describe themselves, and I can't disagree.

Papyrusaurus donated a cool Tardis Print. Papyrusaurus offers a wide variety of decorations and art made mostly from upcycled paper and discarded books.

Ground Zero Comics and Cards donated interchangable sonic screwdriver that ended up being our 1^st place prize in the costume contest. He runs a very cool store for both games and comics. His store also hosts GeekCle's table top game night.

Cleveland Mop Shop, is where I've gotten my hair cut for most of the last decade. They donated some hair supplies and a gift certificate in a Doctor Who lunch box. Judy was our contact for the event and you should give her a call the next time your hair is too long.

Fathom Events gave us a dozen tickets to the Monday showing of 3D version of “the Day of the Doctor” at Crocker Park and South Park Mall. They were very excited about the event and gave us some helpful materials to pick the winners.

Six Point Brewing gave us cheap beer for the event. I love Six Point Brewing. If you haven't tried it you should.

Many of the pictures used in this blog article were taken by Nottage Productions. You'll recognize the photographer, Donn R. Nottage, as the man greatly resembling David Tennant at the event. Linked pictures are copy written by Nottage Productions.

We moved the event back an hour to give people less time standing out in the snow.  So of course, people started showing up at noon. We had a non-stop line of people entering the event until we ran out of room a little after 2:00pm.  I apologize for any confusion of when the opening was going to be.  After some prompting we changed the direction of the still growing line into the bar to watch the show on its TV.

I've seen the show three times now:  at the event, home, and at the movie theater.  Not to brag, but it was best at Mahall's. Getting to enjoy the show with 150 other people made everything about it better. It's easier to laugh out loud or cheer when you have a crowd of people that are having the same reaction. The excitement of the evening was palatable in the air. The most amazing thing that happened was I didn't have to ssh or kick anyone out for being disruptive during the show. The only people that got up went to the bathroom as fast as possible usually after waiting an hour and eventually noticing there weren't any commercials.

Meanwhile, at the bar something magical happened. Instead of moping about the smaller TV, all the Whovians in the Who bar gathered the chairs together and made their own movie theater. They didn't need any projector or sonic screwdrivers nor any timey-wimey Tardis or raffle prizes. The 50^th Anniversary was about more than that. It was about a community of people getting together and enjoying something they love. Two of my friends that showed up late and my wife protected the vendor tables. She said both rooms laughed, cheered and reacted simultaneously throughout the movie. It's a fun thought that when I laughed at Matt Smith stealing a fez, there were people laughing at the exact moment in England, Canada and another 90 countries around the world. That also means that at that moment when thousands of Australians laughed at the same time I did they were also laughing tomorrow (real life timey-wimey.)

I had people come find me after the show to tell me what a great time they had crammed into the bar.

We opened the event to all the bar Whovians for the raffle and the costume contest. The contest was judged by three celebrity judges. Carol, the founder of the Doctor Who Society of Cleveland was our second judge. You should Like her Facebook page it's a good place to find local and less than local Whovian news and pictures. Bella Sin was asked to be our second judge due to her Doctor Who enthusiasm and expertise at costume making. I was a judge because it was my event. There were less people that wanted to be in the contest than I expected but that didn't make the judging easier. All the costumes were amazing. We rapidly picked the top 10 for the the crowd to pick the top three out of. In retrospect we should have gone with cutting out people as we may have left out a costume or two that should have made it. Picking who gets the loudest cheers doesn't work well either but I'm pretty sure we got the fans' favorites in the right order.  Regardless they all did an amazing job on their costumes.

Thanks to our sponsors, vendors, Mahall's, and our crowd buying tickets for our 10 raffle prizes and the 50/50 raffle we were able to pay for all our expenses!

I'd like to thank Jonn and Lynn for taking the reigns of the raffle. Also, thanks to Dean that had to stop 75 temporarily disappointed Whovians from entering our sold out ticketless event. Again thank you Kelly for doing so much work at and leading up to this event that it couldn't have happened without you. You're amazing.

If you enjoyed the event, have a picture in this blog or simply liked the blog please share this blog. The more people that see this blog will make it easier for more events and projects like this to be put on in the future.  Also, if you attended please answer the questions on the poll on the event page.  Thank you!