Akron band Diamond Kites announces a new EP, titled “Working Life,” featuring three songs recorded before the pandemic and finished during the quarantine. The EP will be released Friday, May 22 on all digital platforms, with a livestream release show Saturday, May 23, at 8 p.m., on the group’s Facebook page (facebook.com/diamondkites). The show is sponsored by … [Read more...]
Ms. Julie’s Kitchen serves up vegan, locally sourced cuisine with community connections
Photo by: Blue Green Ms. Julie’s passion for her community and the future of sustainable food come through in everything she makes at her aptly-named restaurant, Ms. Julie’s Kitchen. The way Ms. Julie talks about a fresh ripe tomato off the vine makes your mouth water for one of her sandwiches, which will certainly have slices of the sweet and salty gems that she picked as … [Read more...]
Local parks and a history in social distancing
It’s put into the air when a person with an infection of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks or sings. People nearby may breathe it in and become infected. Sounds like COVID-19, but actually it’s a description of tuberculosis, better known as TB, the leading killer during the 1800s and a top killer well into the 1900s. But the disease could have also had a hand in helping to … [Read more...]
A legendary actress from Akron: The story of Wendy Duke
Editor’s note: Tessa Gaffney is a graduate assistant in the Arts Admin program at the University of Akron. This is the second in a series of interviews with notable UA alumni. Wendy Duke is the coolest person I’ve ever met and my new role model. She views theatre the same way I do: as a tool for building community and a platform to talk about important … [Read more...]
Boys & Girls Club mentors go online to connect with members
Nearly 2,000 kids a day were suddenly without contact with a group of caring adult mentors when Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) was forced to temporarily close sites due to the health crisis. Photo: David Liam Kyle Now they can reconnect virtually. This week, BGCNEO launched Cyber Club, a daily digital menu of activities and programs that are aligned … [Read more...]
Akron Soul Train hosts opening reception for ‘United’ exhibit March 5
Akron Soul Train will host an opening reception for “United,” a show featuring the works of its artist-in-residence and Akron native, Shani Richards, Thursday, March 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Akron Soul Train Gallery, 191 King James Way, in downtown Akron. As a trained metalsmith, Shani says she is fascinated with “how people use jewelry, body modifications, shoes and … [Read more...]
Akron Marathon announces Verrelle L. Wyatt as new race director for 2020 season
The Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation staff and Board of Directors have named seasoned runner Verrelle L. Wyatt their new race director, succeeding Brian Polen in the role. Wyatt, an Akron resident, will be responsible for planning, organizing and staging the Akron Marathon events. He joins the Akron Marathon team from Physio Balance and Sports Performance, LLC where … [Read more...]
Katie Beck named Executive Director of North Akron CDC
North Akron Community Development Corp. (NACDC) has named Katie Beck as its new executive director. Beck, who formerly managed the Exchange House for Better Block Foundation, along with directing NACDC activities since July 2019, will lead the neighborhood-based nonprofit by building organizational capacity and increasing community participation in the new role. “I am … [Read more...]
Weathervane acting experience helps challenge gender roles, notion of ‘fitting in’
Editor’s note: Laura Niehaus is an Education and Outreach advocate at Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center. Niehaus appears in Margaret Atwood’s “Alias Grace” through Feb. 2 at Weathervane Playhouse. “I used to think that if I could hug myself tight enough I could make myself smaller, because there was never enough room for me, at home or anywhere, but if I was … [Read more...]
‘Outlaw Ink’ at UA’s Emily Davis Gallery captures dark humor of hillbillies, urban dystopia
Photo courtesy of University of Akron. “Outlaw Ink: Hück and Hogarth,” currently on view at the Emily Davis Gallery, in the University of Akron’s Myers School of Art, consists of everything from “hillbillies doing bad stuff” in Middle America to the urban dystopia of 18th century England. On display through Feb. 14, the exhibit features works by American printmaker Tom Hück … [Read more...]
