Community Blend

Fore! Year-Round Golf Coming to Our Backyard 📍 Westlake

Six months of Cleveland winter can ruin a lot of things — paint jobs, the will to live, and definitely golf swings. Westlake’s solution is officially underway.

The city is moving forward with a $3.5 million upgrade to Meadowood Golf Course, officially approving construction of a new year-round driving range and practice facility. Groundbreaking is expected this spring, with an opening target of spring 2027.

Meadowood already has an 18-hole par-3 and an executive course, but it’s never had a true driving range, which is something residents have been asking for.

What the new setup includes:

• Indoor Heated Bays: Covered structure with radiant heating so you can work on your slice without losing feeling in your hands.

• Outdoor Grass Tees + Short Game Areas: Dedicated putting and chipping zones for when the weather cooperates (all six days of it).

• Trackman Golf Technology: Radar-based ball tracking that shows distance, accuracy, and exactly how dramatic your hook really is.

• Traditional Focus: Not a Topgolf-style entertainment venue—this is built for actual practice and skill improvement.

• Strategic Placement: Built on the current five-hole course near Crocker Road to leave room for future expansion.

The contract went to Town Center Construction of Northfield after five bids ranging from $3.4M to $4.7M, with funding coming from the city’s general fund. Youth programs like First Tee are also expected to use the facility, making it as much about future golfers as current ones.

Zoom out: Westlake is betting that with the rise in interest in the game of golf, a top-notch facility will get people out of their makeshift garage setup and into Meadowood.

How the Heck Did They Do That? 📍 Flats

One of the biggest roadblocks to the Irishtown bend project was shoring up the hillside. After years of neglect it was trembling and ready to collapse into the river at any minute like me at a Pilates class for the first time.

Stabilizing the river was essential.

Well, how the heck did they do that?

First, they removed a bunch of built-up materials from the hillside to decrease the weight. Next they drove a few hundred 5-foot diameter steel piles into the riverbed and connected them all together. That is the type of brainstorming session I would live to be a part of!

With the hill stabilized, the Port will hand over the keys to the project to the Cleveland Metroparks for earthwork and river habitat rehab.

Mark Your Calendars

Celebrate Black History Month with Music, Movement & Meaning

On Saturday, Feb. 21 from 12–5pm, join the Lakewood Black Caucus and the Undoing Oppressions Task Force for a powerful afternoon of performance and conversation at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church (20401 Hilliard Rd, Rocky River).

📝 What’s on the program?

• Lunch at noon 

• A high-energy performance by Nova the Rebel — hip-hop artist, educator, and co-host of The Kraylist with Krayzie Bone — delivering his inspiring track Black Inventors

• A dance performance from Duffy Liturgical Dance Ensemble, blending spirituals with blues, gospel, and jazz

Stick around afterward for dessert and reflection in the Rotunda.

🎟️ More Information

Non-profit Spotlight

The House Always Wins (and this time it’s okay…)

If you’ve ever played blackjack for raffle tickets while eating meatballs from a church basement…this fundraiser is for you.

Near West Recreation’s Casino Night is back on Saturday, February 7 at St. Wendelin Church Hall, serving up unlimited food and drinks, plus blackjack, poker, and other games where your chips turn into raffle tickets by night’s end. Prizes include museum passes, gift cards, sports swag, and more.

But it’s not just for fun—every dollar raised supports the Champions Fund, which helps cover registration fees for families across Cleveland’s Near West Side.

Here’s the impact behind the chips:

• Over 1,400 kids served annually through sports leagues, camps, and clinics

• More than $30,000 in fees covered each year for families needing financial help

• A majority of participants request assistance—this event helps keep play accessible for all

Today in Cleveland History

WVIZ Channel 25 Began Broadcasting 61 Years Ago Today

Long before Netflix, Cleveland was binge-watching live TV auctions for things like glass ducks and decorative prosthetic legs — thanks in part to WVIZ.

What began as a classroom experiment at Max Hayes Trade School became one of Northeast Ohio’s most trusted voices in public broadcasting. On this day in 1965, WVIZ first aired, bringing educational shows, cultural coverage, and community fundraisers into Cleveland living rooms in crisp black and white.

Early programs included instructional series like “Stepping Into Rhythm with Brenda Veal” and the wildly popular “Armchair Auction,” a live televised fundraiser where viewers donated everything from antiques to everyday items and called in bids. It became so successful the station added a fourth day—proof Clevelanders were eager to support community-powered television.

WVIZ studios later hosted local icons such as Bob Feller, Big Chuck and Little John, Leroy Kelly, Austin Carr, and Wilma Smith, while expanding into film, music, history, politics, and the arts throughout the 1970s and ’80s.

In 2001, WVIZ merged with 90.3 WCPN to form ideastream, later partnering with Playhouse Square and opening the Idea Center in 2005.

From trade-school project to regional institution, WVIZ’s debut marked the start of decades of Cleveland storytelling.

Caption Contest Poll

On Tuesday we ran a caption contest to describe the following photo:

We received too many to choose from. So we’re leaving it up to faithful Buzz Nation to decide which Westsider wins the one-of-a-kind, embroidered sweatshirt!

🍽️ Business & Restaurant News

Game Over 📍 Lakewood

The Arcade on Detroit has closed after less than a year. The Dan Deagen concept was where the old Deagen’s Kitchen and Bar was. We had the chance to visit shortly after opening and the idea was a 16-bit style bar with games. It didn’t reach its full potential and Dan plans to concentrate on his other restaurants.

They Simply Can’t Be Stopped 📍 Tremont

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Hangry Brands is introducing another bar concept. At what feels like a reckless pace, Hangry Brands, led by Jason Beudert, is opening Hidden Tiki Speakeasy above Edison’s Pub.

The team, led by Jason Beudert, says the space will be “over-the-top and Instagrammable,” aiming for a mid-2026 debut. It joins a growing list of Hangry-backed spots popping up across town — so many, it’s getting tough to keep count.

Buzzstrip