Together With NUIQ Wellness Lounge & Med Spa

Been skipping the sunscreen?

Summer is rough on skin. Lake days, patio nights, that one weekend you swore you packed sunscreen (you did not). NüIQ Wellness Lounge & Med Spa on Detroit Ave put together two packages for Buzz readers, running now through September 30.

The Summer Skin Reset is the easy yes. One visit, no big treatment plan, no downtime. You get:

• Hydrafacial Classic

• ClearSilk Laser

• ZO Renew + Replenish Duo Kit

Good before a wedding, a Put-in-Bay trip, or just as a reward for making it through a week of 100º temps.

The Defined Profile Package is for anyone thinking structure over glow:

• 3 syringes of Restylane Lyft

• 30 units of Botox

Your provider maps it all to your features and goals (cheeks, jawline, chin, wherever makes sense for your face). The point isn't to look different. It's to look like you, just more defined.

Not sure which one fits? The NüIQ team can help guide you. Call them at 216.377.1778.

_{All treatments must be completed in one visit.}

🏙️ Community Blend

The flag that refused to fade

Every family has a recipe that never got written down. You learn it by standing next to somebody, holding the bowl, getting it wrong a couple times. For the Thompson family, the recipe is a flag painted on a cliff over Route 2.

If you've ever driven Route 2 near Amherst (probably on the way home from Cedar Point), you know the one. It's been welcoming Westsiders home since 1976.

The first batch was improvised, like all the good ones. When Route 2 construction exposed the rock, it quickly collected some, uh, colorful graffiti. So on a rainy July 4, 1976, siblings Barbara Thompson Brucker and Grant Thompson climbed up with paint. When they ran short, Willow Hardware on Oberlin Avenue heard the plan and handed over the red for free. The neighbor bringing the missing ingredient.

The family has been coming back ever since. After storms. After vandals. And after 9/11, when the country needed it most.

This Fourth of July, 50 years and one America250 later, Barbara was back at 7 a.m. with three generations in tow: kids, grandkids, and a few brave ladder-holders giving it a fresh coat. It's now labeled "Freedom Flag" on Google Maps. Not bad for a bicentennial whim.

Fifty years in, the recipe still isn't written down. It doesn't need to be. Barbara's got three generations who know it by heart now, and they all know the same secret: the stars are the part you don't rush.

(Our family recipe is the Christopher family Italian Wedding Soup. Not something everyone can see from the highway, but just as iconic.) Full Story from Connor Ball

🗞️ Short Takes

Short Takes on the Westside by Julie Short. We can’t fit everything into the email newsletter so you can find the full column on our website.

Avon

Cultural celebration: The Lake Erie Crushers recently announced the introduction of their COPA de la Diversión identity, Loros de la Costa Erie, developed in partnership with the Lorain County Hispanic Fund.

Loros de la Costa Erie made its on-field debut at ForeFront Field July 5 and will return for a second celebration Aug. 7. The identity change features a new logo and color scheme that will be integrated into uniforms, hats, in-game activations, and other media.

Tick check: The Lorain County Metro Parks (LCMP), in partnership with Lorain County Public Health (LCPH), recently introduced a new initiative to increase public awareness of tick safety and improve reporting resources. As part of this effort, new Tick Check Stations have been installed at six LCMP locations including the Miller Nature Preserve: Avon Wetlands, 35120 Riegelsberger Rd., and Sandy Ridge Reservation, 6195 Otten Rd., North Ridgeville.

More Avon Takes, like movie night and the Rodeo coming to town

Avon Lake

Safe place to live: SafeWise recently released its 12th annual Safest Cities in America report, and Avon Lake is ranked as the No. 5 safest city in Ohio for 2026. The ranking is based on a comprehensive analysis of the latest FBI crime statistics and local safety trends. The SafeWise report highlights the specific metrics that contributed to the city's high safety standing including violent crime rate at 0.2 per 1,000 residents; and property crime rate at 2.9 per 1,000 residents.

Bay Village

Support the arts: BAYart Moondance tickets are currently available online with early bird pricing available through July 31. The event takes place Sept. 12.  

This year’s Moondance features the return of Apostle Jones to the main stage, immersive art experiences with the teaching faculty, buffet dinner by Cafe Melissa, open bar, and other activities.

North Ridgeville

Talking basketball: The radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tim Alcorn, will share stories from the team and highlights from the season during a presentation at 1 p.m. Aug. 3 at the Senior Center, 7327 Avon Belden Road.

Register to attend by July 31, call 440-490-2056.

Rocky River

Orange barrel season: At every turn, it seems like there is construction going on around town. Work continues on the Lake Road – Clifton Boulevard Corridor Improvements Project as work progresses from Linda Street to the bridge over the Rocky River.  Current work includes full-depth repairs, curb removal and replacement, waterline relocation, sewer relocation, and underdrain installation.

Full updates on orange barrel season

Westlake

Space exploration: Celebrate the grand opening from 7 to 8 p.m. July 14 of the new Space Exploration Lab at the Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road. The lab features the Frohring Deep Space Observatory where visitors can explore and photograph the universe, right from the library.

Business & Restaurant News

More changes coming to Jaja

Just when it looked like Jaja had found its footing, the Ohio City spot is switching gears again.

Doug Trattner reported that just seven months after its extended closure, it's already changing course.

Minneapolis-based JJJ Hospitality has parted ways with executive chef Logan Abbe, who says he was completely blindsided and never got a straight answer why. For a place recently considered one of the city's most exciting places to eat, it's quite an about-face.

Enter Daniel del Prado's DDP Restaurant Group and new chef Colin Eakins, who'll lead a "Phase 2" menu makeover and two new concepts. Le Burger stays put.

Stay tuned.

Seen Around Cleveland

Permanent Street Mural 📍 Downtown

Downtown is taking steps to make the streets safer and more walkable. Now we can add colorful and unique to the list.

Local artist Ryan Jaenke is leading the charge on the city's first permanent street mural, working alongside a fantastic team of volunteers.

The best part? The mural celebrates everything that makes Cleveland special like our diverse culture and industrial roots. And it's going in right alongside those protected bike lanes we added last year, so it's not just beautiful, it's making the street safer for everyone walking and biking through downtown.

The whole thing should be wrapped up by mid-July, so keep an eye on Huron Road!

Timelapse of freighter taking center stage at Rockin’ on the River 📍 Lorain

A freighter joined the party during Rockin’ on the River in Lorain on the Fourth of July. The timelapse of the huge barge entering port while the party is at full steam will make you wish you were there.