Category Archives: Football

GIVEAWAY: Girls’ Day Out at PlayhouseSquare’s SPANK!

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One of my favorite Girls Days Out from last year at Jen’s wedding

UPDATE: In addition to entering my giveaway below for SPANK! at PlayhouseSquare, you can increase your chances of winning by checking out Smitten in Cleveland’s, WhyCLE’s and Life in the CLE’s giveaways going on now.

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I find that when I need to blow off steam, a Girls’ Night (or Day) Out is the best remedy – whether it’s yoga with Poise in Parma or @CLEYogi, or a Sunday of Les Mis, crafting and Downton Abbey.

If you want to make like Cyndi Lauper and have fun, I have 2 upcoming girls’ nights and a giveaway for you:

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Upcoming Events for CLE's Young Professionals

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When Greatist.com ranked Cleveland as the #7 best city for 20-Somethings, it cited the fact that we’re one of the best places for new college grads, filled with job openings (especially in manufacturing and engineering), and Draft Magazine’s Beertown, U.S.A.

Another reason I’d add to this list: all of the opportunities available for Cleveland Young Professionals to socialize, network and give back to the community.

While the city’s YP groups usually have events throughout the year, it seems like the next couple of weeks are particularly filled with them.   Here are just a few to mark on your calendar:

Cleveland Foodbank YP KickOff – Sept. 27

As I mentioned in last week’s post about Hunger Action Month, the Cleveland Foodbank is launching a new program for Young Professionals. And next Thursday, Sept. 27, they’re hosting a happy hour at Grovewood Tavern to unveil the name of the group and plans for future events.

From 6-8PM, a senior Foodbank staff member will be onsite to answer questions about poverty and hunger in Cleveland and discuss the Foodbank’s programs and volunteer opportunities.

And for every two canned goods you bring, you’ll receive a drink ticket (maximum of two drink tickets).

You can RSVP and learn more at clevelandfoodbankyp.eventbrite.com.

I’ve found my experiences volunteering for the Cleveland Foodbank to be extremely rewarding and the fact that everyone deserves to have food on their table is very important to me.  As a member of this new YP group, you’d be able to get involved, help set the direction for the organization and really further the impact the Foodbank has on our region.

As a side note: Earlier on the same night, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Engage Cleveland will be co-hosting a Pop-Up Party at the Colonial Marketplace.  The historic space is taking a new lease on Downtown Cleveland Retail and the Marketplace’s developer will be available for attendees who’d like to share their ideas on the stores and businesses they want to see in the space.

Since the Downtown Pop-Up starts at 5pm, you can stop by, share your ideas, and head to the Cleveland Foodbank happy hour to wrap up your night.

PlayhouseSquare OSU Party – Sept. 29

Are you ready for some football?  On Saturday, Sept. 29, Partners - PlayhouseSquare’s YP group - is hosting their annual OSU party during the Buckeyes-Michigan State game.

Doors open at 3pm at the Blind Pig with kickoff at 3:30pm.  Admission is free but you can also take advantage of a special deal on food and drink during the game. For $25 in advance/$30 at the door, enjoy 4 hours of unlimited pizza, pasta, wings, beer, wine and well drinks.

Even if you aren’t a college football fan, this event is a great opportunity to help raise money for PlayhouseSquare’s Bus Fund.  Proceeds from the food and drink packages, as well as raffles and the silent auction will provide much-needed funding to local schools who are unable to afford transportation to PlayhouseSquare shows.

Learn more here and make your reservation by calling 216-640-8416 or emailing franzm@playhousesquare.org.

Other upcoming PlayhouseSquare Partners events include:

Why Stay YP Conference – Oct. 6

The Why Stay Conference is an all-day conference that’s free and open to any Cleveland young professional. Through a partnership with BET, TV20, Cleveland State University, SOUP, and the Hip Hop Caucus, the event will provide discussions about programs, industries, issues and activities for young professionals in the area.

Described as a “Do-ference,” Why Stay attendees will also take an active role in formulating a plan for Cleveland young professionals alongside local leaders like County Executive Ed Fitzgerald.

Why Stay will be separated into three tracks – Work, Play, and Stay. Some of the sessions include “Education and Bridging the Gap,” “Cleveland’s Food Scene” and “Marketing Cleveland to the World.”

After a day of brainstorming, the event wraps up with a Town Hall and Wine Tasting.

Learn more about this inaugural conference at whystaycle.com and RSVP at whystay2012.eventbrite.com.

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Whether the arts, volunteering, or community development are your interests, there’s never been a better time for Cleveland’s young professionals to get out there, get engaged and be enriched. Another bonus is that many of these opportunities are free to attend (I love free - free is great!).

However, these are just a few options; if you’re interested in seeing what Cleveland’s other YP organizations are up to, Engage Cleveland has an excellent resource page at engagecleveland.com/yps.

If you’d like to share an upcoming event for young professionals that I didn’t mention, leave it in the comments!

Disclosure: I am a board member of PlayhouseSquare Partners and on the YP Council of the Cleveland Foodbank. From time to time, I will post on upcoming events hosted by these organizations; however, these are events I truly think are interesting beyond my involvement in any organization.

Hunger Action Month and Taste of the Browns Recap

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I have to confess that Sunday’s Browns opener left me conflicted. Raised a Philadelphia Eagles fan, I was torn over whether to cheer for the team I grew up watching or the underdogs I’ve learned to love since moving to Cleveland (in the end, I choo-choo-chose the Browns).

But while the Browns may have ultimately lost on Sunday, they won my heart when leading the Cleveland Foodbank to victory at Monday night’s Taste of the Browns.

Remembering how stuffed I was at last year’s Taste of the Browns, I went in with a game plan.  A small yogurt for lunch and I was ready for an evening of food from over 25 of Cleveland’s restaurants.

Because Scott had to stay home that night for work, I took Alicia from Poise in Parma as my last minute date (or as she jokingly referred to herself – my blog assistant) (check out her recap for more food highlights).

Momocho’s tamales topped both Alicia’s and my lists

As we rode the elevator up to the Club Lounge, we walked straight into the crowd quickly gathering around the different food stations.

For the next couple of hours we tasted and tried dishes prepared by the likes of Zack Bruell, AMP 150 and Light Bistro.

Highlights included Pier W‘s lobster taquito topped with a smooth honey jalapeno butter sauce, Momocho‘s spicy boar tamales and XO Prime Steaks‘ Beef and Chicken Kabobs.

Georgetown‘s Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Salad was also a refreshing break from many of the rich foods.

The stadium’s new Sawyer’s Street Frites stand

However, the only dish I had to go back for seconds of was Sawyer’s Street Frites‘ Whole Braised Beef Shin a’la Bourguignon on a fresh Parker House roll.

You couldn’t help but love the tender, succulent beef shin mixed with braised veggies. And the roll soaked in the meat’s juices was delicious on its own.  As we head into Fall’s colder weather, it struck me as a perfect dish for football season.

While we took a break from eating, we enjoyed a few glasses of wine (I particularly liked Apothic’s mild blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Moscato) and listened to Taste of the Browns co-chairs Joe Thomas and Al “Bubba” Baker share with guests the evening’s true purpose.

A glass of white wine was needed after my second helping of this delicious Whole Braised Beef Shin a’la Bourguignon

Raising over $140,000 last year, Taste of the Browns is one of the largest annual fundraisers for the Cleveland Foodbank providing vital food, funding and services to more than 223,700 people in our region. It also celebrates Hunger Action Month.

As we learned at the event, the Cleveland Foodbank and Feeding America are working together throughout the month of September to increase awareness of hunger issues and how we can all take steps to fight it.

They’ve come up with a list of “30 ways in 30 days“, different ideas for donating time, food and money to organizations that serve the hungry.

Taste of the Browns co-chairs Joe Thomas and Al “Bubba” Baker share ways to take action during Hunger Action Month

A few of my favorite suggestions include:

  • Donate a grocery store gift card to your local food pantry so they can provide more for those they serve.
  • Call and schedule a time to volunteer in the Foodbank’s Cleveland Community Kitchen.
  • Help out by eating in. Share a home-cooked dinner with your family and donate what you would have spent on dinner out to the Foodbank.
  • Pick a book for your book group that focuses on the issues of hunger and poverty.
  • Learn about Cleveland Foodbank’s Benefit Bank which connects low income people to benefits.

Young Professionals also have a unique opportunity to get involved this month.  On September 27, the Cleveland Foodbank will unveil their new Young Professionals Group at a happy hour at the Grovewood Tavern.

From 6-8PM, a senior Foodbank staff member will be onsite to answer questions about poverty and hunger in Cleveland, educate attendees on the Foodbank’s programs, and explain volunteer opportunities.

And for every two canned goods you bring, you’ll receive a drink ticket (maximum of two drink tickets).  RSVP and learn more at clevelandfoodbankyp.eventbrite.com.

Though Scott couldn’t make it to Taste of the Browns, I did manage to grab a ‘souvenir’ for him from Little Devil Cupcakery

We’re only halfway through Hunger Action Month and there’s still plenty of time to do something. No matter what you choose to do, your donations of time or money will go a long way in helping the Cleveland Foodbank distribute more than 32 million pounds of food to 618 hunger programs throughout our region.

Disclosure: As mentioned when I posted my giveaway, I was offered 2 tickets to give away and a pair for myself to preview Taste of the Browns. I also am a council member of the Young Professionals group at the Cleveland Foodbank. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***