Together with First Federal Lakewood

Don’t keep your savings on hold

You know that feeling when you call a customer service line, brace yourself for the hold music, and instead a real human picks up on the second ring? A win like that can carry your whole day.

First Federal Lakewood built that same feeling into opening a savings account.

Their Uplift Savings Account skips the minimums, the surprise fees, and the fine-print gotchas.

Open it online in under 10 minutes and start saving today.

Why First Federal Lakewood?

• The rates are solid. 2.02% APY* up to $49,999, 2.53% APY from $50K to $99,999.

• Your money does double duty. FFL is a mutual bank — deposits fund local mortgages, small business loans, and community organizations on the Westside.

• It's simple to start. Just $50 to open, no minimums, no surprise fees.

Ready to stop procrastinating on your savings goals? Open an account online or swing by any of FFL’s branches.

Don’t put future you on hold.

_{*Interest rates and Annual Percentage Yield (APY) are subject to change. Fees could reduce earnings. Rates accurate as of 4/16/2026. All rates and terms are subject to change without notice.}

Community Blend

🐻 A Bear Is Probably Coming to the Westside

For years, Cleveland bear sightings have stayed way out east in the Chagrin River Valley. Wildlife officials have logged just 15 confirmed sightings out there since 1995.

That's changing fast.

In the past two weeks, bears have shown up on home security cameras in Pepper Pike and Beachwood, then Garfield Heights, and most recently Brooklyn Heights, where police warned residents after a report near E. Schaaf Road. Each town is closer to us than the one before it.

Here's what's happening: these are almost certainly young male bears, pushed out of their home turf by bigger males in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. So they roam, sometimes 100 miles or more, looking for space or a mate. And it's not a fluke year. Statewide sightings hit a record 537 last year, up from 370 the year before.

No bear has been confirmed on the Westside yet. But if the pattern holds, it's only a matter of time before one of us catches a set of eyes on the doorbell cam. Might as well be ready.

No need to panic, Buzz Nation. A bear passing through isn't that dangerous. Just don't make your yard the easiest stop on his route.

Non-profit Spotlight

The Nicest Nerds on the Westside 📍 Hyland, Westlake

What's your weekend plan? Gardening? Watching The Open? A strategic nap that accidentally becomes the whole afternoon?

Starting today, about 150 Clevelanders are spending theirs giving back. Software developers, designers, and project managers are taking over Hyland's Westlake campus for Cleveland GiveCamp, which is a full weekend of building websites, databases, and tech tools for local nonprofits, completely free.

Why this is so cool?

For a small nonprofit, a new website or donor database is the kind of project that costs more than they've got. GiveCamp closes that gap in 48 coffee-buzzed hours. Now in its 16th year, this weekend's edition is helping 14 organizations — including City Fresh, the Rainey Institute, and Ohio City's own Bicycle Co-op.

By Sunday night, 14 nonprofits walk away with tech they could never afford, built by neighbors who asked for nothing but pizza and Wi-Fi.

Know a nonprofit that could use this next year? Point them to clevelandgivecamp.org.

Enjoy the nap. Enjoy knowing that they’re great souls out there who’d give their weekends to help non-profits.

Business & Restaurant News

Sweat Equity 📍 Crocker Park, Westlake

This week, every single one of us did hot yoga. It wasn't by choice. The temperature hit 95, half of Lakewood lost power Tuesday, and we all just lay on our floors, glistening. It was a free class that we paid for in others ways.

Starting this winter, you can do it on purpose, with far better results. Body Alive, the Cincinnati-born boutique studio voted that city's best yoga, Pilates, and barre spot six years running, is opening in the Promenade at Crocker Park (30323 Detroit Road, next to Robeks).

The lineup: Hot Mat Pilates, Hot Power Pilates, and something called the Hot Body Challenge — all in a deliberately warm room, all designed for every level, from the deeply bendy to those of us who consider touching our toes a long-term goal.

Add it to Crocker Park's ongoing glow-up: A&F and Hollister returning this fall, MINISO in August, a new neighborhood cop keeping the drag racers honest, and now this.

Honestly, the winter timing is genius. Come January, when the lake wind is personally insulting you, a heated room where someone politely forces you to exercise might be the best deal on the Westside.

This week, though? We're all set on heat. Thanks.

Coming Soon

🗽 250 Regular Americans, Cast in Bronze on Our Lakefront

Most monuments honor one heroic figure. Cleveland's newest project flips that entirely.

MSCHF, a Brooklyn arts collective, chose our lakefront for a multi-million-dollar installation marking America's 250th birthday: 250 ten-foot sculptures in four concentric circles, each topped with the likeness of a real, randomly selected American. Founder Kevin Wiesner calls it a rejection of the "great man theory" of statuary, arguing that a true portrait of a country is its everyday people, not its icons.

The installation lands just northeast of Huntington Bank Field. Renderings go before the planning commission this month, with a larger announcement in August.

Since Cleveland is the smallest big town where everyone knows everyone, one of those 250 faces will be someone you know. (Full story from Crain’s)

Westside Pour Over

Gordon Square - The Girls' Joint, a women-owned, cannabis culture boutique in Cleveland's Gordon Square has reopened after roughly five months of navigating bureaucratic red tape. (Show them some love)

Lakewood - The Trinity Block Market is coming back Sunday September 20. They are looking for vendors who can fit the theme of vintage finds and handmade collections. (Apply as a vendor here)

Fairview Park - Get ready for the Fairview Park Food Festival featuring tastes from around the world. Free parking, 10 tapas dishes, and fun with Fairview friends. (More information)

Buzzstrip

The Summer of ‘26

Know someone having a wedding? Pat does handpainted artwork to make your wedding feel special.