Developers will break ground on former Chevrolet dealership property this spring; Child Guidance & Family Solutions to be first tenant.

University Park Alliance (UPA) has signed a partnership agreement with Equity Inc., an Ohio real estate services firm to build and manage the first two buildings of a planned “Market Square” mixed-use development on the former Fred Martin Chevrolet auto dealership land on East Market and Forge streets in University Park.

The approximately five-acre property was purchased by UPA late last year for redevelopment in accordance with its “Core City Vision Master Plan” unveiled in May 2011. The plan depicts Akron’s core city -- including University Park, downtown and surrounding areas -- as three major streets and four distinct development districts. The mixed-use development to be called “Market Square” is located on Market Street in the “Crossroads District” and includes a significant portion of an area designated by the City of Akron as the “Biomedical Corridor.” UPA’s master plan has targeted this area to be built around technology and innovation.

Film premieres April 19 in Akron

“Rebels on Lake Erie,” a locally produced documentary about a college-educated pirate’s attempt to liberate Confederate officers imprisoned on Johnson’s Island near Sandusky, premieres April 19, 6:30 p.m., in the ballroom at The University of Akron’s historic Quaker Square Inn, 135 S. Broadway, Akron.

Free and open to the public, the premiere event will also feature Civil War music and re-enactors. Many of the documentary's featured experts and production team members will be available for questions. A panel on “Memory in the Civil War” will follow the screening. Free parking is available.

Western Reserve Public Media (WNEO/WEA0) will broadcast "Rebels on Lake Erie" April 23 at 10 p.m.

Caribbean, jazz and classical music will mix when The University of Akron Steel Drum Band performs April 14, 8 p.m., at E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., on the UA campus. A big-screen “pan cam” — a popular feature of the band’s annual spring concerts — will put the audience in the middle of the vibrant sights and sounds.

Tickets are available in advance and at the door. Regular-price tickets are $18 for reserved seating. Discount tickets are $16 for seniors, children 12 and under, and UA faculty, staff and retirees and $9 for UA students with Zip Cards. For tickets and event information call the E.J. Thomas Hall Ticket Office at (330) 972-7570. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at all Ticketmaster Centers, www.ticketmaster.com, or (800) 745-3000.

Summit County Children Services – the coordinating agency of Child & Family Awareness Month – recently announced the names of 29 local students from public, private, independent and charter schools within Summit County who were selected as winners in the 2012 Child & Family Awareness Month© Creative Contests from more than 250 combined entries.

The winners, each of whom was asked to create an artistic piece honoring the all-important concept of ‘family,’ were recognized at an awards reception held at the Akron Art Museum, through the support of the museum, Wendy's and the FirstMerit Foundation.

The work of the grand prize winner -- fifth-grader Brianna Frank, from Erwine Intermediate School in Coventry, will be the basis for all the promotional materials (such as brochures, buttons, etc.), which will be developed for next April's 2013 Child & Family Awareness Month celebration.

Have you ever passed by a homeless person holding up a cardboard sign and felt like you should do something, but didn’t know what to do? On May 8, there will be a one-day event for the homeless, where you can do more than just hand them some change; in fact, this event could change lives forever.

For the past five years, nearly 200 service providers, funders, and participating agencies have collaborated for this one-stop-shop for the homeless. It’s a one day event that makes a difference in lives all year-round.

Both lectures sponsored by The University of Akron’s Synapse Series and Integrated Bioscience Program

On April 5 at 6 p.m., Ilaria Mazzoleni will talk about “Bio-mimicry: Innovation in Architecture Inspired by Nature” in the Folk Hall Auditorium, 150 E. Exchange St., on the UA campus. A faculty member at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Mazzoleni investigates issues of sustainable architecture and building technologies.

On April 26 at 7 p.m., Jenny Sabin will discuss “Matrix Architecture” at the Akron Art Museum, One South High Street in downtown Akron. An architectural designer, artist and educator at Cornell University, Sabin is a 2011 Knight Fellow who is at the forefront of investigating the intersections of architecture and science and applying insights and theories from biology and mathematics to the design of material structures.

A ticket is required for the April 26 program and may be obtained for free at: akron-art-museum1.ticketleap.net/jenny-sabin.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Greenleaf Family Center.

One being that it’s just a counseling center, or that the agency only helps people with anger management issues. Or that the Community Services for the Deaf program is a completely different agency.

However, it’s important for the nonprofit and Dina Younis, Fund Development & Marketing Director at Greenleaf Family Center, to raise awareness about Greenleaf's programs. There is more to the agency than what you might think.

The Akron Area Arts Alliance seeks qualified applicants for a six- to twelve-month part-time position as interim executive director. The 30-hour-a-week position may transition into a permanent and possibly full-time position.

The paid position is slated to begin May 1.

Following the retirement of AAAA’s longtime director Jessie Raynor, the interim executive director will guide AAAA through an inclusive member and community engagement process to determine how the organization should pursue its newly expanded strategic goals and further develop its role as a leading advocacy organization for arts and culture in greater Akron.

The city of Akron is partnering with Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP), and many downtown businesses to increase recycling efforts in the downtown footprint. The city has invested in 154, 30-gallon “pop bottle” shaped recycling containers, 50, 50-gallon “dome-shaped” style recycling containers, and 20, 300-gallon recycling containers. All of the containers were paid for from a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The 30- and 50- gallon containers will be used in the downtown area, including Lock 3, Lock 4, along parade routes and at special event sites. The 300-gallon containers will be used for commercial customers.

"Collider4: Spectacle," an array of events presented by The University of Akron's Myers School of Art, invites visitors to participate in, play with and ponder new media artworks. The events include exhibitions, lectures, workshops, receptions and Kinect Cube interactive artworks.

Running through April 14, all “Spectacle" events are free and open to the public in three UA campus locations: the Myers School of Art and Emily Davis Gallery in Folk Hall,150 E. Exchange St.; Bierce Library, 302 East Buchtel Ave.; and the Honors College Complex, 180 South College St. Also free are receptions on March 20 and April 13 from 4:30 to 8 p.m.