Short Takes

The full April 28 column is packed with so much information today and it lives here on our website but here are the highlights worth your morning coffee.

Avon

Garden party: Residents can test out their green thumbs in the city’s new Jameson Homestead Community Garden on the grounds of the former Jameson Homestead Antiques, 36675 Detroit Road.

Residents can learn and share gardening skills with other families, and grow their own food. A limited number of plots are currently available online. The deadline to register is April 30.

Mother’s Day: Treat mom to a special Mother’s Day Tea from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 10 at Miller Nature Preserve, 2739 Center Road. More info

Drafted: Hundreds of baseball players recently participated in the Frontier League Draft ForeFront Field following the Frontier League Tryout Camp. The Lake Erie Crushers selected two local players from the area: Owen Gerba, a left-handed pitcher from Westlake; and Aidan Grabowski, a shortstop from Avon Lake.

The Lake Erie Crushers open their 17th season at ForeFront Field May 8.

In other ForeFront Field news…After celebrating 25 years of Christian music and faith in Wickliffe, The FEST is moving to Avon. The event will take place at ForeFront Field Aug. 15. Tickets

Avon Lake

Checkmate: Avon Lake High School sophomores and twin sisters Olivia and Sophia Panciu recently competed in the 2026 Ohio All-Girls State Chess Championship in Lewis Center (outside Columbus).

They competed in the Championship section against top female scholastic chess players from across the state. Sophia tied for first place in the Championship section, earning the title of 2026 Ohio State Co-Champion. Olivia finished in fourth place individually in the same section.

Competing together as a team representing Avon Lake High School, the twins also finished in first place in the team competition.

Memorial Day Parade: It’s time to register your local organization, school group, or a veteran’s association to participate in the city’s annual Memorial Day Parade.

Parade application deadline is May 11. The Memorial Day Parade starts at 10 a.m. May 25.

Bay Village

Grand trees: Arbor Day was last week, but the city is still celebrating as nominations are now being accepted for this year's Grand and Glorious Tree Program. The goal of the program is to ‘engage the community in identifying and celebrating exceptional specimen trees throughout the city, while raising awareness of the importance of protecting, maintaining, and strengthening our urban tree canopy.’

Submissions will be reviewed and a gallery of the trees will be posted for residents to vote on their favorite. The winner will be recognized by the city during the fall Arbor Day celebration in October.

The nomination form is available online.

On the road again: The Bay Village City Schools Bike to School Challenge was inspired by a student car boycott to protest high gas prices back in 2007, and to encourage more bicycling to school in order to help the environment, get more physical activity, improve health and just have fun, according to district officials.

Last year, roughly 60% of Bay Middle School students (grades 5-8) participated.

North Ridgeville

Go fish: The annual Fishing Derby takes place from 7:30 to 11 a.m. May 2 at South Central Park, 7565 Avon Belden Road. Bring your own bait and fishing rod. If you don’t have one, there will be extra provided.

Painting party: Arts in Action students from North Ridgeville High School are at it again. As part of their selection for Murals Across Ohio, the state’s official America 250 initiative showcasing art from all 88 counties, the students have been painting murals in various businesses around town.

Another mural is set to be unveiled at 6 p.m. April 29 at Between the Bun, 34445 Center Ridge Road.

Rocky River

New concept: Char Whiskey Bar & Grille, 19337 Detroit Road, is now Avo Rocky River offering modern Mexican cuisine. Don’t worry, the owners will be keeping a couple of the Char favorites including the Char Burger, Mac or Lobster Rolls, as well as some Char favorite cocktails.

Westlake

Free comic books: Celebrate Comic Book Day May 2 at the Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road. Visitors can pick up free comic books in the lobby (while supplies last) and participate in activities throughout the day, including taking selfies with popular comic book figures.

Local creator Mel Maurer lends his character creations to the library annually for a month every spring for guests to enjoy. More info

Community Blend

Pure Supermarket is an Oasis 📍 Cleveland

According to CWRU Think Magazine, nearly half of Clevelanders live in a food desert, which is an area lacking nutritious food options. That’s been reality for a lot of Bellaire-Puritas until Saleen Hussain made it his mission to make a difference.

That’s why a former Walgreens at 4281 W. 130th reopening as Pure Supermarket actually matters.

Local owner Saleem Hussain and his family bought the property in 2024 and spent 17 months turning it into a full-service grocery store — with strong early support from the community.

Here’s what stands out:

• Fresh produce, halal meat, and a hot kitchen

• Open 8am to midnight, which is later than most chain stores

• Independently owned, with a focus on keeping the store clean, organized, and community-driven

• Built inside a long-vacant retail space — a small but real reinvestment signal for the area

Hussain says the goal is simple: run the store like it is part of the neighborhood, and treat people like part of his own family.

Jumping Judy Flash! 📍 Fairview Park

Lifelong Fairview Park resident Judy Crawford Kaufmann is jumping for joy after crushing a World Record. Last week she attempted to smash a Guinness World Record—and absolutely crushed it. Judy powered through an insane 5,023 jumping jacks in one hour, unofficially blowing past the previous record of 4,754 (set by a man in 2021). Not only did she top the overall mark, she unofficially established the record for women, too.

Judy has a remarkable fitness journey. She has also completed a 50- and 100-mile run, the Ironman, a few Triathlons, and a few marathons, including the Boston Marathon. According to her family and friends who were in attendance at the Gemini Center in Fairview Park for the Guinness World Record attempt, Judy loves to challenge herself by setting big goals and working hard to achieve them!—Julie Short

📜 Today in Cleveland History

Lincoln’s Body Arrives in Public Square (April 28, 1865)

On April 28, 1865, over 90,000 Clevelanders observed President Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession traveling through Public Square to pay their respects.

Cleveland was one stop in a 1,700-mile rail journey taking Lincoln's body from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, where he would be buried on May 4th.

The massive turnout demonstrated Cleveland's grief and the profound impact of Lincoln's assassination just weeks after the Civil War's end. It marked a moment when the entire nation mourned together after a long and arduous war that had our young nation pitted against each other.

🍽️ Business & Restaurant News

Oven Mitts Rising 📍 Fairview Park

Courtney Bonning has been baking something equal parts exciting and mouthwatering since selling Bonbon Pastry.

Be on the lookout for Oven Mitts Bakery this summer in Fairview Park, taking over the old 808 Shave Ice spot on 21280 Lorain Rd. After years at Terrapin Bakery, she’s creating a more casual, neighborhood-style shop focused on mornings.

Think coffee, breakfast sandwiches on house-made English muffins or pretzel bagels, plus grab-and-go lunches, frozen meals, and macarons.

The goal: approachable, comfort-style food with a seasonal touch.(Cleveland Scene)

Feel the Heat 📍 Flats

If you’ve opened a social media app in the last two years, you’ve probably seen a guy named Chad podcasting from an ice bath or someone in a towel sweating in a sauna while explaining the life-changing benefits of contrast therapy.

Well, the trend is coming to The Flats — with a Scandinavian twist.

Opening later this year, The Saunagoose is an outdoor sauna and cold plunge park planned for The Flats, bringing hot, cold, and mildly intimidating breathing exercises to the riverfront.

The name comes from saunagus, a guided sauna ritual where a trained practitioner waves scented steam through the room with towels in a choreographed session. It’s meant to be intense, communal, and unforgettable.

Or, as most of us will call it: sweating out last nights bad decisions

Nature and Metroparks

If you have been a consistent reader of The Buzz, you know that we are super excited for the transformation of the Irishtown Bend. Well we’ve come across some big updates from ASP1984 in the Urbanohio forum.

They snapped this photo of themselves sitting on the hill overlooking the bend.

Now that the hill has been stabilized, the Metroparks is now working their magic to beautify the land into a park.

The full imagination of the park is scheduled to be completed by 2029, while the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail / Franklin Enhancements are on track to be open in 2027.